THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


A 

CAROLINA 
CAVALIER 


"  Good-bye,  Sweetheart." 

(See  page  too.) 


CAROLINA 


A  ROMANCE  of  the  AMERICAN 
¥  REVOLUTION  ¥ 


By    GEORGE    CARY    EGGLESTON 


AUTHOR     of 

"A     REBEL'S     RECOLLECTIONS" 

"  SOUTHERN    SOLDIER     STORIES  " 

"  THE  LAST  OF  THE  FLATBOATS" 

ETC..    ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED   BV  C.  D.  WILLIAMS 


LOTHROP  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
BOSTON  ¥ 


COPYRIGHT, 

1901, 
By 

LOT  H  ROP 
PUBLISHING 
COMPANY. 


3rd  THOUSAND 
March  1 


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April  0,  igoi 

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TABLE    <?/  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER     I  PAGI 

Which  goes  to  show  that  an  introduction  may  be 
dispensed  with  upon  occasion    .          .          .          .          1 1 

CHAPTER      II 

v>      Two  men  in  a  boat          .          .          .          .          .  29 

H— 

**  CHAPTER     III 

>• 

^  In  which  Roger  Alton  encounters  an  embarrassment      44 

o-  P.    •.    _ 

3      CHAPTER     17 

In  which  destiny  takes  the  helm  .          .          69 

J      CHAPTER     7 

•»•  •    In  which  Helen  tells  a  little  story       .          .          .          87 

CHAPTER     VI 
.       "  Good-by,  sweetheart "          ....          94 

8 

*        CHAPTER     VII 
o 

In  which  Roger  Alton  encounters  the  enemy        .        104 

CHAPTER     VIII 
5        Alton  House  .          »         .          .          .          .        125 

CHAPTER     IX 

Jack      .  .         .         .         ,          .          .        140 


44810S 


TABLE    <?/  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER     X  PAG* 

Men  in  council       .          .          .          .          .          .149 

CHAPTER     XI 

A  Jove  and  life  perplexity          .          .          .          .168 

CHAPTER     XII 

Tiger  Bill 174 

CHAPTER     XIII 

Tiger  Bill's  letter 184 

CHAPTER     XIV 

A  stirrup  cup          .         .         .         .         .         .190 

CHAPTER     XV 

In  which  Roger  Alton  loses  his  temper       .          .        200 

CHAPTER     XVI 

Humphreys  .          .          .          .          .          .          .        219 

CHAPTER     XVII 

A  first  smell  of  powder    .          .          .          .          .228 

CHAPTER     XVIII 

A  love  letter  ......        238 


TABLE    of  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER     XIX  PAGE 

A  battle  in  the  dark          <          /         ,          .          .        243 

CHAPTER     XX 

Which  maidenly  modesty  makes  very  brief  .        258 

CHAPTER     XXI 

In  which  Captain  Alton  meets  the  enemy  and  a 

friend  .          .          ...          .          .          .          .        260 

CHAPTER     XXII 

Under  the  iron  heel         .       *  '.         .         .         .        274 

CHAPTER     XXIII 

War's  new  birth     ......        286 

CHAPTER     XXIV 

In  which  an  enthusiastic  young  gentleman  saves  a 
hundred  guineas      .          .        .  .          .          .          .        305 

CHAPTER     XXV 

Captain  Jack's  devicea      .          .          .          .          .311 

CHAPTER     XX7I 

In  the  hands  of  the  enemy        .         .          .          .        326 

CHAPTER     XXVII 

"  Tarleton's  Quarter "     .          .          .          .          .        338 


TABLE    <?/  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER     XXV  111  PAGE 

Humphreys'  story  .         .         .         .         -353 

CHAPTER     XXIX 

In  which  Alton  House  receives  visitors        .          .        368 

CHAPTER     XXX 

Marlborough  brings  news  .          .          .          .381 

CHAPTER     XXXI 

Captain  Jack's  defence     .          .          .          .          .390 

CHAPTER     XXXII 

Fire  and  sword        .          .          .          .  .          .408 

CHAPTER     XXXIII 

The  papers  in  the  case    .          .         .          .          .421 


CHAPTER 

The  end  of  a  complexity  .          .          .          •        43  5 

CHAPTER     XXXT 

In  which  Marlborough  attains  military  command          441 

CHAPTER     XXXVI 

Which  brings  the  war  and  the  story  to  an  end     .        445 


A    LITTLE    FOREWORD 

/T  is  as  a  romance  only  that  I  offer  this 
book.  In  using  the  historic  events 
of  a  heroic  time  as  a  background,  and 
the  sentiments  of  a  heroic  people  as  a  set 
ting  for  my  story,  I  have  endeavored  to  make 
all  my  historical  references  accurate.  Beyond 
that  I  have  attempted  nothing  of  the  histo 
rian's  task.  I  make  no  pretence  of  right  to 
invade  the  domain  of  that  superb  scholarship 
which  is  just  now  writing  our  country's  won 
der-story  anew  and  more  worthily  than  has 
ever  been  done  before. 

Patriotism,  and  an  unflinching  sense  of  hon 
or — love  and  heroic  devotion — these  alone  are 
my  themes.  If  I  have  succeeded  in  any  wor 
thy  degree  in  illustrating  these  high  virtues 
and  in  reflecting  the  spirit  and  sentiment  of  the 
people  among  whom  this  story  is  laid,  I  have 
accomplished  all  that  I  set  out  to  do. 

GEORGE  GARY  EGGLESTON. 

CULROSS-ON-LAKE-GEORGE, 
September,  1900. 

9 


I 


WHICH  goes  to  SHOW  that  an  INTRODUCTION 
MAY  be  DISPENSED  WITH  upon  OCCASION 

rHE  sun  was  shining  fervidly  through 
the  pale,  rose-colored  haze,  with  list 
less,  sleepy  sultriness,  as  if  that  were 
altogether  the  easiest  thing  it  could  do,  and 
as  if  it  felt  itself  quite  unequal  to  the  task 
of  doing  anything  more  energetic  or  more 
self-restrained  on  that  soggy,  moist,  oppressive 
January  day,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1779. 
Not  a  breath  of  air  from  land  or  sea,  was  stir 
ring  in  the  little  Bahama  seaport  town.  The 
hazy,  tropical  atmosphere,  lay  like  a  moist,  hot 
blanket  over  the  land  and  upon  the  sea.  The 
people  of  the  town  were  for  the  most  part 
swelteringly  asleep  upon  hot  couches,  or  dozing 

1 1 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

away  the  hours  somewhere  in  the  shady  re 
cesses  of  their  hovel-homes. 

Along  the  rude  and  tumble-down  wharves 
the  only  activities  were  those  of  buzzing  insects, 
flying  about  with  no  other  apparent  purpose 
than  that  of  fanning  themselves  with  weary 
wings. 

Three  British  ships  of  war  lay  like  logs  in 
the  harbor,  with  scorching  decks  and  with  sails 
spread  out  in  the  listless  air  to  dry,  if  that 
might  be,  in  an  atmosphere  saturated  with  va 
por  that  just  missed  being  steam.  A  dozen  or 
so  small  boats  of  varying  shapes  and  charac 
ters  were  drawn  up  on  the  blistering  sands  of 
the  beach  and  covered  with  tarpaulins  as  a  pro 
tection  against  the  warping,  seam-opening  in 
tensity  of  the  vertical  sunbeams. 

Everything  about  the  shore  seemed  in  a  co 
matose  state — with  a  single  exception.  That 
exception  appeared  in  the  person  of  a  well- 
dressed  young  man  who  came  down  to  the  wa 
ter's  edge  in  reckless  disregard  of  the  heat 
and  with  a  step  whose  elasticity  marked  him  at 
once  as  a  stranger,  not  long  enough  sojourning 
in  the  island  to  have  fallen  into  the  all-pervad 
ing  doze.  He  passed  rapidly  among  the  boats, 
inspecting  each  of  them  in  turn  with  minute 
scrutiny,  as  if  he  were  cross-questioning  them 

12 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

about  matters  concerning  which  he  was  might 
ily  interested  to  learn  the  uttermost  detail  of 
fact.  The  eagerness  of  his  scrutiny,  and  the 
alertness  with  which  he  passed  from  one  to  an 
other  of  the  inverted  boats,  getting  down  upon 
his  hands  and  knees  now  and  then  to  look  un 
der  one  of  them,  would  have  attracted  atten 
tion  and  excited  curiosity  if  there  had  been  any 
body  there  sufficiently  awake  to  observe  his 
actions.  But  the  only  other  person  within 
sight — a  negro  boy  who  pretended  to  be  fishing 
off  the  end  of  a  decaying  pier — had  fallen 
asleep  in  the  sun,  and  a  blue-bottle  fly  was  prac 
ticing  gymnastics  around  the  tip  of  his  nose  un 
molested. 

Presently  the  young  man,  who  from  his 
dress  and  manner  would  have  been  set  down 
as  an  Englishman  of  the  upper  middle  class 
off  on  his  travels,  finished  his  inspection  of 
the  boats  and  walked  rapidly  to  the  cabin  of  the 
old  Spaniard  who  owned  them.  Entering  the 
open  door  without  ceremony,  he  disturbed  the 
midday  slumber  of  the  worthy  waterman  and 
presently  discovered  that  he  understood  not 
one  word  of  English.  Fortunately  our  young 
gentleman  spoke  French  and  Italian  with  ease, 
and  the  boatman  had  picked  up  enough  of  those 
tongues,  so  closely  akin  to  his  own,  to  make 

'3 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

a  negotiation  possible  though  the  progress  of  it 
was  lame  and  halting. 

By  dint  of  much  reiteration  and  many  substi 
tutions  of  phrase,  and  frequent  lapses  from 
French  into  Italian  and  from  Italian  into 
French,  the  young  man  managed  at  last  to 
make  the  older  one  understand  that  he  wished 
to  have  one  of  his  larger  boats  uncovered  and 
turned  over  for  more  careful  examination,  with 
a  view  to  her  purchase. 

"  To-morrow,"  said  the  Spaniard,  after  the 
procrastinating  habit  of  his  race. 

"  No !  "  answered  the  youth.  "  To-day ! 
Now !  Instantly !  Without  delay !  "  He 
rang  the  changes  on  all  the  French  and  Italian 
words  that  could  convey  the  idea  of  instant  ac 
tion,  but  without  effect  upon  the  lassitude  of 
mind  which  held  a  spell  over  the  boat  owner. 
In  his  impatience  the  youth  stepped  forward, 
seized  the  man  by  the  nape  of  the  neck — he 
wore  no  collar — and  by  sheer  force  lifted  him 
from  the  bench  on  which  he  was  lolling  and 
marched  him  to  the  boat. 

After  much  bargaining, — during  which  the 
Spaniard  was  not  too  sleepy  to  extort  two  or 
three  prices  for  everything  suggested, — it  was 
finally  agreed  that  the  waterman  should 
thoroughly  caulk  the  boat,  cover  her  bottom 

«4 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

with  pitch,  and,  by  building  a  half  deck,  con 
vert  her  forward  part  into  a  waterproof  locker 
for  provisions  and  other  things.  All  this  was 
to  be  done  within  three  days,  with  no  "  to-mor 
rows  "  for  excuse,  and  then  the  boat,  with  its 
one  mast  and  sail,  was  to  become  the  property 
of  the  young  man  upon  the  payment  of  twenty- 
five  golden  guineas,  five  of  which  were  paid  in 
advance  as  a  guarantee  of  good  faith.  It  was 
an  extortionate  price  for  an  open  boat,  less 
than  twenty  feet  long  and  fit  only  for  fishing 
use  within  a  secure  harbor,  but  the  Spaniard, 
however  little  he  understood  of  any  language 
other  than  his  own,  quite  perfectly  understood 
that  his  customer  wanted  the  boat  very  much 
and  wanted  it  immediately. 

The  purchase  concluded,  our  young  gentle 
man,  still  disregarding  the  heat,  walked  briskly 
into  the  town.  There  he  disturbed  the  slum 
bers  of  two  or  three  small  dealers  in  various 
wares,  bought  a  considerable  supply  of  such 
provisions  as  might  be  eaten  without  further 
cooking,  a  mariner's  compass,  some  other  in 
struments  of  navigation,  sundry  fish  nets,  lines, 
hooks  and  such  other  things  as  one  bent  upon 
an  extended  fishing  excursion  would  be  apt 
to  need.  All  these  articles  were  taken  under 
their  purchaser's  personal  supervision,  to  the 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

waterman's  hut  and  left  there  until  needed. 
So  much  business  had  not  been  transacted  in 
the  town  for  a  month  and  so  much  energetic 
hurrying  had  probably  never  before  been  known 
there;  wherefore  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  the 
people  whose  slumbers  the  young  Englishman 
had  disturbed  would  have  been  astonished  if 
astonishment  had  not  been  much  too  ac 
tive  an  emotion  for  them  to  indulge  in  in 
such  weather. 

The  town  had  sunk  back  into  listless  silence 
again,  therefore,  when  the  youth  returned  the 
second  time  from  the  boatman's  house;  and  as 
he  at  least  was  in  no  mood  for  lounging  or 
drowsing,  he  walked  away,  at  a  pace  that  sug 
gested  a  wager,  into  the  country  beyond,  and 
night  was  near  at  hand  when  he  came  back  to 
the  wretched  little  inn  in  which  he  had  taken 
up  his  temporary  abode. 

The  night  was  hot  and  close,  as  the  day  had 
been,  and  despite  the  warning  the  landlord 
had  given  him  to  beware  of  tropical  dews,  the 
youth  insisted  upon  having  his  dinner  served  in 
the  open  air  of  the  garden,  under  the  stars  and 
with  no  roof  even  of  the  frailest  tropical  sort  to 
shelter  him.  He  was  much  too  robust  a  young 
fellow,  with  his  six  feet  one  of  height  and  his 
hundred  and  seventy  pounds  of  hardened 

16 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

brawn,  to  fear  the  open  air  in  any  quarter  of 
the  world.  He  had  taken  no  harm  from  the 
pestilential  atmosphere  of  the  Roman  cam- 
pagna,  though  he  had  slept  many  nights  amid 
those  miasms.  He  had  been  born  indeed,  as 
his  father  before  him  had  been,  on  the  coast  of 
South  Carolina,  and  he  deemed  himself  by  in 
heritance  as  well  as  by  personal  vigor  of 
health,  immune  to  all  the  harm  that  might 
lurk  in  the  night  air  of  a  little  seagirt  Bahama 
island. 

His  host,  having  slept  well  in  his  chair  dur 
ing  the  afternoon,  was  now  sufficiently  awake 
to  entertain  a  mildly  intense  feeling  of  disgust 
when  the  guest  declined  to  take  a  bottle  of 
sherry  after  his  meal — for  in  those  days  men 
drank  their  wine  not  with  their  dinners  but 
after  them — and  contented  himself  with  a  cigar 
and  coffee  instead. 

The  moon  came  up,  round  and  full,  and  the 
young  man  still  lingered  in  the  garden,  lost  in 
meditation  and  cigar  smoke. 

About  ten  o'clock  a  stranger  approached  and 
accosted  him.  He  was  a  man  of  about  fifty, 
tall,  lean  and  of  dark  visage,  with  deep  set  and 
very  piercing  eyes,  which  singularly  enough 
were  not  black  but  a  light  gray.  He  might 
have  been  a  Spaniard  or  a  Frenchman  or  per- 

'7 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

haps  an  American  who  had  been  much  exposed 
to  sun  and  storm.  He  addressed  the  youth 
politely  and  in  English  that  had  no  trace  of 
accent  in  it. 

"  Pardon  me,"  he  said,  "  if  you  are  at  leisure 
I  should  like  to  talk  with  you  for  half  an  hour 
concerning  matters  that  I  think  will  interest 
you." 

"  Pardon  me  in  my  turn,"  replied  the  young 
man,  "  I  do  not  wish  to  seem  rude,  but  I  can 
not  think  there  is  any  subject  in  which  we  are 
likely  to  be  mutually  interested,  and — you  are 
a  stranger." 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  said  the  older  man. 
"  It  is  unseemly  in  me  to  approach  you  in 
this  way,  but  I  cannot  very  well  help  myself. 
I  recognize  your  right  to  resent  the  intrusion — 
the  impertinence  if  you  will — but  I  beg  you  to 
listen  for  a  few  minutes  to  what  I  have  to  say. 
You  do  not  know  me,  and  naturally  do  not  care 
to  talk  to  me.  But  I  know  you  and  I  must 
talk  to  you  in  private,  here  and  now.  Listen 
and  if,  after  hearing  me,  you  do  not  pardon  my 
presumption,  I  shall  never  repeat  it." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  answered  the  youth. 
"  I  owe  you  an  apology.  I  do  not  know  you, 
it  is  true,  but  I  ought  at  least  to  have  seen  that 

you  are  a  gentleman,  and " 

18 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  No,"  broke  in  the  other;  "  I  am  not  a 
gentleman.  I  have  no  right  to  claim  that  title 
in  any  case,  and  least  of  all  as  a  means  of  ap 
proach  to  you.  I  cannot  explain.  I  can  only 
ask  you  to  let  me  talk  to  you,  freely  admitting 
that  I  have  no  claim  whatever  upon  your 
attention." 

There  was  a  melancholy  earnestness  in  the 
man's  voice  and  countenance,  and  a  pathetic 
appeal  in  his  strange  gray  eyes,  which  fasci 
nated  his  auditor.  Motioning  him  to  a  seat 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  table — for  he  had 
continued  standing — the  young  man  called  for 
a  bottle  of  wine,  but  the  elder,  when  it  came, 
excused  himself  from  drinking  and  the  glasses 
remained  untouched  to  the  end. 

When  the  landlord  had  set  the  wine  upon 
the  table  and  departed,  the  stranger  resumed 
the  conversation,  speaking  in  a  low  voice  that 
could  not  be  heard  at  any  great  distance. 

"  I  said  just  now  that  I  knew  you,"  he  be 
gan,  "  and  to  verify  that  let  me  say  that  al 
though  you  call  yourself  here  by  another  name, 
and  profess  to  be  a  traveling  Englishman,  you 
are  really  not  an  Englishman  at  all,  but  Mr. 
Roger  Alton  of  the  colony — or  rather  the  state 
— of  South  Carolina " 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  interrupted  the  young 

19 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

man,  rising,  and  with  some  resentment  in  his 
tone,  "  I " 

"  Oh, I  grant  it!  I  grant  it!  "  resumed  the 
other  quickly.  "  I  don't  ask  you  to  admit  the 
truth  of  any  statement  I  make,  and  you  need 
not  be  at  the  trouble  to  deny  any.  If  I  am 
wrong  no  harm  will  be  done.  Pray  hear  me 
out,  and  then  decide  whether  you  will  order 
me  from  your  presence  or  will  grant  my  re 
quest — for  I  have  a  request  to  make  and  it  is 
a  very  serious  one  to  me.  I  mean  no  intrusion, 
and  I  certainly  mean  no  harm  to  you.  Let  me 
tell  you  what  I  know  and  what  I  conjecture, 
and  what  I  want.  When  that  is  done  we  will 
assume,  if  you  wish  it  so,  that  I  have  been  en 
tirely  mistaken  and  I  will  go  away  admitting 
my  error  and  saying  nothing  to  anybody." 

"  Oh,  very  well,"  replied  the  youth.  "  I've 
nothing  better  to  do.  So  go  on,  but  under 
stand  distinctly  that  if  I  say  nothing  in  denial 
of  your  extraordinary  assertions,  I  do  not  by 
my  silence  admit  their  truth." 

"  That  is  quite  understood,  sir.  All  I  ask 
is  that  you  hear  me.  Now  I  take  you  to  be 
Mr.  Roger  Alton,  the  son  of  Col.  Geoffrey  Al 
ton,  of  Alton  House,  South  Carolina.  You 
went  to  England  seven  years  ago,  at  the  age  of 
fourteen,  to  be  educated.  You  have  passed 

20 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

your  summers  in  travel  on  the  continent,  and 
the  rest  of  the  time  at  Eton  first  and  Oxford  af 
terward.  You  have  recently  left  the  University, 
though  you  were  still  an  undergraduate,  I 
suppose.  You  did  so,  I  think,  with  the  purpose 
of  returning  to  America  and  taking  part  in 
the  war,  on  the  patriot  side.  This  last  is  only 
a  conjecture  on  my  part." 

"  Wonder  what  I  should  call  all  the  rest  of 
your  singular  statements  then,"  broke  in  the 
young  man  with  an  amused  smile.  "  But  go 
on.  I  did  not  mean  to  interrupt." 

"  Well,"  resumed  the  other,  "  you  probably 
found  it  difficult  to  secure  passage  from  Eng 
land  to  any  American  port  not  occupied  by  the 
British  and  so  you  came  to  these  islands,  hoping 
to  find  here  some  little  trading  craft  that  would 
take  you  across  to  the  mainland.  In  this  you 
have  been  disappointed.  You  have  found  the 
Bahamas  pretty  well  cut  off  from  communica 
tion  with  America,  by  reason  of  the  fact  that 
since  the  alliance  between  the  Americans  and 
the  French,  a  French  fleet  has  been  sent  to  the 
West  Indies,  rendering  the  British  tenure  of 
these  islands  very  insecure,  and  completely 
stopping  trade  relations  with  the  American 
coast." 

"  All  this  is  exceedingly  interesting/'  said 

21 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

the  youth.  "  To  me  it  is  even  amusing.  So 
pray  go  on  with  the  romance." 

The  other  paused  for  half  a  minute  as  if 
thinking  how  best  to  present  the  remain 
der  of  what  he  had  to  say.  Then  he  re 
sumed  : 

"  Finding  all  ordinary  means  denied  you, 
you  have  decided  upon  a  hazardous  attempt  to 
make  the  voyage  alone  in  the  open  boat  which 
you  bought  to-day.  You  have  ordered  altera 
tions  made  in  her,  which  would  not  have  been 
needed  or  even  desirable  if  you  were  only  going 
fishing.  Moreover  you  have  laid  in  provisions 
for  a  much  longer  voyage  than  gentlemen  usu 
ally  make  when  they  go  fishing  out  on  the  bar. 
More  significant  still,  you  have  provided  your 
self  with  instruments  of  navigation  not  needed 
on  a  fishing  excursion.  My  conjecture  is  that 
you  intend  to  make  the  pretended  fishing  trip 
a  cover  under  which  to  get  away  from  the  is 
land  and  out  to  sea  without  attracting  the  at 
tention  or  arousing  the  suspicion  of  the  gentle 
men  on  those  warships  down  there  in  the  bay. 
To  make  the  blind  more  effective  you  have  en 
gaged  a  quantity  of  bait. 

"  Now  all  this  is  my  conjecture  concerning 
your  purpose  and  your  plans.  I  freely  admit 
that  I  am  guilty  of  an  impertinence  in  speculat- 

22 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

ing  at  all  upon  your  identity  or  your  affairs,  or 
anything  else  concerning  you.  My  excuse  is 
that  I,  too,  want  to  go  to  America  for  the  pur 
pose  of  taking  part  in  the  war  against  the 
British,  and  I  should  long  ago  have  set  off  in 
an  open  boat  if  I  had  had  the  money  necessary 
to  buy  one.  It  was  in  trying  to  arrange  a  trip 
of  the  sort  for  myself  that  my  attention  was 
drawn  to  your  preparations.  I  have  sought 
this  conversation  with  no  wish  whatever  to  pry 
into  your  affairs,  but  solely  for  the  purpose  of 
inducing  you  to  take  me  along  with  you.  I 
have  followed  the  sea  for  some  years  now  and 
I  am  an  expert  navigator — though  I  have  no 
captain's  berth.  You,  I  take  it,  know  but  little 
of  navigation,  so  rny  skill  may  possibly  be  of 
sufficient  value  to  you  to  be  taken  in  payment 
for  my  passage.  I  have  no  money — indeed  I 
rarely  have  much  though  I  have  good  earning 
capacity.  There  are  reasons  why  I  must  not 
keep  what  I  earn.  My  service  in  sailing  your 
boat  is  all  that  I  can  offer.  It  will  be  par 
ticularly  valuable  to  you  when  you  approach 
the  coast,  as  my  knowledge  of  the  creeks,  in 
lets  and  other  entrances— especially  on  the 
Carolina  coast — is  unusually  minute." 

He  paused  with  an  eager,  questioning  look 
which  the  moon,  shining  full  in  his  face,  re- 

23 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

realed  to  his  companion.  He  seemed  to  be 
trying  to  read  the  young  man's  countenance, 
to  find  out  there  what  impression  his  words  had 
made. 

The  youth  sat  silent  for  a  full  minute  or 
more.  Then  he  said : 

"  Let  us  suppose  for  a  moment  that  your 
singular  impressions  concerning  me  and  my 
purposes  are  correct.  Let  us  suppose  that  I  am 
Roger — what's  his  name?  " 

"  Alton,"  interposed  the  other. 

"  Alton,  was  it  ?  Well,  let  us  suppose  that  I 
am  Roger  Alton,  a  young  American  cherishing 
the  treasonable  purpose  of  going  home  to  fight 
against  his  king.  What  guarantee  should  I 
have  in  that  case,  that  you  are  not  a  person  in 
the  employ  of  the  British  government  and 
bent  upon  entrapping  me  to  my  ruin?  How 
do  I  know  that  once  aboard  my  boat,  you  will 
not  deliver  me  up  to  be  hanged  to  the  yard 
arm  of  one  of  those  ships  out  there  in  the 
bay?" 

"  I  have  thought  of  that  difficulty,"  said  the 
dark  man,  "  and  have  provided  a  means  of 
meeting  it,  which  I  think  you  will  regard  as 
adequate.  Admit  nothing  to  me  now.  Persist 
in  declaring  that  your  intention  is  simply  to  go 
fishing  on  the  banks  off  the  harbor,  when  your 

24 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

boat  is  ready.  Let  me  go  with  you.  You 
will  be  fully  armed  of  course.  As  we  enter 
the  boat  I  will  hand  you  my  pistols,  and  if  you 
discover  at  any  time  anything  suspicious  in  my 
conduct,  you  will  only  have  to  shoot  me  and 
throw  my  body  to  the  sharks.  They  abound 
in  these  waters  and  their  appetites  are  vora 
cious.  Thus  I  cannot  possibly  prove  treacher 
ous  after  we  set  sail,  without  paying  for  it  with 
my  life,  and  meantime,  while  we  are  waiting 
for  the  boat  to  be  got  ready,  the  worst  that  I 
can  do  will  be  to  publish  my  suspicions,  and, 
if  I  were  so  disposed,  I  could  do  that  anyhow. 
You  will  have  admitted  nothing  whatever. 
You  are  a  traveling  young  Englishman  with  a 
mind  to  go  a-fishing  in  these  waters.  You 
engage  me,  as  an  experienced  seaman,  to  man 
age  your  boat.  On  shore  this  is  the  extent  of 
our  relations  with  each  other.  When  we  put 
to  sea  you  are  absolute  master  both  of  the  boat 
and  of  the  situation.  I  ask  no  confidences.  I 
inquire  into  no  secret.  I  ask  only  an  engage 
ment  to  go  with  you  on  your  fishing  trip.  On 
your  return  to  this  town  you  can  pay  me  a  sail 
or's  wages  for  my  services.  There  can  be  no 
danger  in  effecting  such  an  arrangement  as 
that,  can  there?  " 

"No,  I  think  not,"  said  the  youth.     "At 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

any  rate  as  I  only  want  to  go  fishing,  and  as  I 
shall  need  a  sailor,  I  gladly  engage  you,  if  only 
for  the  sake  of  the  laugh  I  shall  have  when  we 
return  and  I  pay  you  your  wages.  Meet  me  at 
the  boat  on  Thursday  morning  at  the  flood  of 
the  tide." 

With  that  the  two  separated,  the  elder  man 
disappearing  down  the  narrow  street  and  the 
youth  seeking  his  chamber  on  the  second  floor 
of  the  inn. 

The  night  was  growing  chill  with  the  dew 
which  had  begun  to  drip  from  the  trees  before 
the  conversation  in  the  garden  came  to  an  end. 
The  young  man,  who  seemingly  had  no  present 
purpose  of  going  to  bed,  carefully  closed  the 
solid  wooden  shutters  of  the  unglazed  windows 
and  wrapped  his  cloak  around  him  before  sit 
ting  down  in  front  of  his  trunk.  He  then 
proceeded  to  open  and  destroy  a  large  packet 
of  letters,  a  tedious  process  as  it  was  necessary, 
for  lack  of  a  fireplace,  to  burn  them  one.by  one 
in  the  flame  of  a  candle.  He  toiled  at  this  task 
with  exemplary  patience,  carefully  gathering 
the  ashes  into  a  heap  upon  the  little  deal 
table. 

"  I  must  look  my  linen  over  too,"  he  said  to 
himself,  "  and  burn  all  the  pieces  that  have  my 
name  upon  them.  The  loss  will  not  be  serious, 

26 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

as  I  couldn't  take  the  trunk  with  me  at  any 
rate." 

The  work  of  destruction,  together  with 
pauses  during  which  the  shutters  were  thrown 
open  to  let  the  smoke  escape,  occupied  the  en 
tire  night,  and  day  was  already  breaking  when 
the  young  man  gathered  the  ashes  into  a  hand 
kerchief  and  quitted  the  room.  Making  his 
way  to  the  pier  he  threw  the  package  into  the 
sea,  after  weighting  it  carefully  with  shells  and 
rubbish  to  make  sure  of  its  sinking. 

"  Now,"  he  said  with  a  chuckle  of  relief,  "  I 
fancy  it  will  puzzle  my  dark  visaged  friend  to 
establish  my  identity  if  he  wants  to  do  that.  I 
wonder  what  his  game  is,  and  what  he  is,  and 
who?  That  reminds  me,  by  the  way,  that  I 
quite  forgot  to  inquire  the  fellow's  name.  He  is 
so  much  the  modest  gentleman  in  his  manner 
that  I  shrank  from  questioning  him  about  him 
self,  in  spite  of  his  extraordinary  impudence  in 
prying  into  my  private  affairs.  Never  mind.  I 
shall  find  out  who  he  is  pretty  soon  I  suppose. 
He  will  be  around  the  inn  to-day,  doubtless,  and 
then  I'll  ask  him,  as  my  sailorman,  who  and 
what  he  is.  He  will  give  me  a  false  name,  I 
have  no  doubt,  and  perhaps  invent  an  auto 
biography  which  will  serve  his  turn  for  the  oc 
casion.  He  speaks  like  an  educated  man  and 

27 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

he  evidently  knows  what's  proper  in  the  way 
of  courtesy.  Clearly  he's  a  gentleman — no,  by 
Jove,  he  twice  distinctly  declared  that  he  was 
not  a  gentleman.  Wonder  what  he  meant  by 
that?" 


28 


II 


TWO   MEN  in  a  BOAT 

rHE  man,  whoever  he  was,  did  not 
again  make  his  appearance  at  the 
inn,  nor  did  the  youth  meet  him 
anywhere  in  the  little  town  during  the  days 
of  waiting.  On  the  morning  appointed  for 
the  fishing  excursion,  the  young  man  found 
him,  clad  in  a  sailor's  working  costume,  stand 
ing  cap  in  hand  at  the  bow  of  the  newly 
launched  boat.  After  carefully  examining 
the  supplies  and  instruments  to  see  that 
all  were  on  board,  the  young  man  paid  the  re 
mainder  of  the  boat's  purchase  money  to  the 
old  waterman  and  that  worthy  strolled  away 
toward  the  town  in  search  of  rum,  perhaps. 
The  sailor  was  as  deferential  in  his  manner  as 
any  common  seaman  could  have  been  toward 
his  captain.  Yet  he  maintained  a  dignity  that 
suggested  self-respect.  He  asked  if  he  had  not 
better  make  an  inspection  of  the  rigging  and, 
receiving  an  order  to  that  effect  he  rapidly  but 
closely  questioned  every  line  and  block  and 

29 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

stay,  trying  the  pulleys  to  see  that  they  ran 
freely,  and  now  and  then  altering  the  rig  in 
slight  particulars.  In  short  he  "  keyed  up  " 
the  boat  as  it  were,  to  fit  her  for  her  best  per 
formance.  Finally  he  doffed  his  cap  again  and 
said: 

"  Everything  is  ready,  sir,  whenever  you 
wish  to  step  aboard." 

The  young  man  got  into  the  boat  and  seated 
himself  in  the  stern  sheets,  indicating  that  he 
intended  to  sail  her  himself,  at  least  for  the 
present.  Then  the  sailorman  advanced  and 
laid  his  two  pistols  before  the  young  captain, 
without  a  word. 

The  young  man  looked  intently  into  his  eyes 
for  a  moment  and  then  said :  "If  we  are  to 
be  companions  in  this  hazardous  undertaking, 
we  must  also  be  friends.  Above  all  we  must 
trust  each  other  implicitly.  Keep  your  pistols. 
I  now  tell  you  frankly  that  I  am  Roger  Alton 
and  that  your  conjectures  concerning  my  pur 
poses  were  correct  in  all  essential  particulars. 
If  you  know  my  father  you  know  that  his  son 
cannot  well  be  a  coward.  I  say  again,  keep 
your  pistols  and  give  me  your  hand.  Who 
ever  you  are,  let  us  be  friends  before  we  start." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  man,  with  a  sug 
gestion  of  threatened  tears  in  his  voice.  "  I 

3° 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

thank  you  heartily,  Mr.  Alton,  for  your  gener 
ous  confidence.  It  is  like  your  father — whom 
I  do  not  know,  however."  He  added  the  last 
clause  hastily.  "  I  must  not  let  you  get  the 
impression  that  I  am  a  friend  of  his.  His 
friends  are  gentleman.  I  am  not  a  gentleman." 

"  You  certainly  seem  to  be  one,"  said  Roger, 
as  the  sailor  cast  the  boat  loose  and  the  wind 
caught  the  sail,  heeling  her  over  a  trifle. 
"  And  pardon  me  but  that  reminds  me  that  I  do 
not  know  how  to  call  you.  Your  name  has 
not  been  mentioned  between  us,  I  think.  I 
have  not  the  slightest  idea  who -or  what  you 
are." 

"  I  am  called  Thomas  Humphreys,  sir,"  re 
sponded  the  man.  But  he  did  not  go  on  to  say 
what  as  well  as  who  he  was. 

"  Another  thing,"  he  quickly  added.  "  I 
told  you  I  had  no  money,  and  strictly  speaking 
I  have  none.  That  little  chest  sitting  on  the 
locker  there  has  money  in  it,  and  a  good  deal 
of  money  too,  for  it  is  all  in  gold.  But  none  of 
it  is  mine.  I  hold  it  in  trust  for  others. 
Should  I  fall  overboard  or  come  to  grief  in  any 
other  way  on  this  voyage,  please  open  the  little 
coffer  and  read  some  directions  I  have  placed 
in  it.  Meantime  with  your  permission  I'll  stow 
it  in  the  locker  for  safety." 

31 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Roger  Alton  was  sorely  puzzled.  Here 
was  a  man  who  professed  to  be  a  sailor  and 
who  confidently  declared  his  ability  to  navigate 
a  ship.  But  his  manner  and  speech  were  those 
of  a  man  bred  in  a  very  different  school  from 
that  whence  sailors  come.  The  man  was  a 
puzzle  in  every  way,  and  his  knowledge  of 
Roger's  identity  and  all  that  pertained  to  him 
was  no  whit  stranger  than  a  score  of  other 
things  that  were  observable. 

Roger  was  a  gentleman,  however,  if  his 
companion  was  not,  and  he  therefore  repressed 
the  impulse  to  ask  personal  questions.  Nor 
was  there  time  for  much  questioning.  It  was 
necessary  to  get  out  of  the  harbor  without  ex 
citing  suspicion  on  the  part  of  the  warships 
lying  at  anchor  there,  and  to  compass  that  it 
was  necessary  to  resort  to  strategy.  After 
consultation,  every  article  about  the  boat  that 
could  suggest  preparation  for  a  prolonged  voy 
age  was  carefully  bestowed  in  the  locker.  Then 
sailing  close  in  to  the  shore,  the  pair  dropped 
anchor  and  began  fishing.  Presently  they 
moved  on,  further  down  the  bay  and  after  one 
or  two  more  feints,  dropped  their  anchor  with 
in  easy  speaking  distance  of  one  of  the  war 
ships.  After  observing  them  for  a  little  while 
a  ship's  officer  called  out: 

32 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  If  you  want  to  catch  anything  you'd  better 
drop  down  to  the  bar.  There's  no  fishing  here 
of  any  account,  and  it's  best  outside  on  the 
banks  if  you  can  make  that  cockle  shell  of  yours 
live  in  the  seaway  out  there." 

This  was  precisely  what  Roger  Alton  want 
ed.  It  gave  him  entire  liberty  to  pass  out  of 
the  harbor,  and  it  indicated  that  the  thought  of 
anybody  putting  to  sea  in  so  frail  a  craft  had 
not  entered  the  officer's  mind  even  as  a  pos 
sibility. 

"  Thank  you !  "  cried  Roger  as  Humphreys 
drew  up  the  anchor.  "  We'll  try  it,  and  if  we 
get  back  in  safety  I'll  stop  and  leave  you  some 
fish  for  your  breakfast." 

"  That's  courteous,  and  the  mess  will  be  glad 
of  the  dainty,"  answered  the  officer.  "  But 
mind  your  eye  if  you  venture  beyond  the  bar. 
It's  apt  to  be  squally  in  these  latitudes  and  that 
shell  of  yours  wouldn't  last  long  in  a  heavy 
sea." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  shouted  Humphreys  in  the 
tone  of  an  old  salt,  "  that's  what  the  cap'n  ship 
ped  me  for.  I'm  on  speakin'  terms  with  salt 
water,  anyhow." 

So  they  hoisted  sail  and  bore  away  in  a  fresh 
breeze  toward  the  bar.  There  they  dropped 
anchor  again  and  fished  for  a  time.  Then  they 

33 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

shifted  their  position,  going  half  a  mile  farther 
seawards.  Later  still  they  set  sail  and  trolled 
back  and  forth  as  if  for  surface-swimming  fish, 
going  every  time  farther  and  farther  from  the 
ships.  They  continued  this  until  nightfall, 
which,  in  latitudes  so  low,  occurs  almost  im 
mediately  after  sunset,  and  with  next  to  no  in 
tervening  twilight. 

"  May  we  not  start  now?  "  asked  Roger,  as 
the  ships  faded  away  in  the  gathering  gloom. 
"  They  can't  see  us  and  clearly  they  don't  sus 
pect  our  purpose." 

"  You  are  master  of  the  boat,  sir,"  answered 
the  sailor. 

"  Very  well  then,  we'll  put  to  sea  at  once." 
And  with  that  he  brought  the  boat  about  and 
laid  her  course  to  the  northwest,  while  Hum 
phreys  lighted  the  little  firefly  lamp  in  the 
binnacle  that  made  the  compass  card  dimly 
visible. 

The  sky  had  become  overcast  with  the  com 
ing  on  of  evening  and  the  darkness  was  intense, 
for  the  voyagers  carried  no  lights. 

"  In  the  eyes  of  the  law,  we're  pirates  I  sup 
pose,"  said  Roger.  "  We  have  put  to  sea  with 
out  clearance  papers,  and  are  sailing  under  no 
country's  flag." 

"Perhaps,"   answered   Humphreys.      'The 

34 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

boat  is  too  small  I  think  to  require  registry,  but 
as  she  is  sailing  from  one  country  to  another 
I  suppose  we  should  be  asked  for  our  papers 
if  we  were  overhauled  or  if  we  put  into  a 
recognized  port.  However  all  the  smugglers 
of  the  smaller  sort,  take  the  same  risk." 

Then  in  answer  to  Roger's  questioning,  he 
explained  that  there  had  been  for  many  years 
a  constant  illicit  trade  between  the  West  In 
dies  and  other  countries  and  the  Carolina  coast. 

"  You  see  our  coast — I  should  say  the  Caro 
lina  coast — is  laced  all  over  with  little  creeks, 
rivers  and  inlets  that  no  revenue  fleet  in  the 
world  could  adequately  guard.  They  are  nar 
row,  crooked,  and  often  run  into  each  other, 
while  most  of  them  are  very  deep.  I  know 
some  that  are  thirty  feet  deep  even  where  they 
are  not  more  than  thirty  feet  wide.  Their 
banks  are  generally  dense  woodlands,  so  that 
when  a  smuggling  craft  makes  its  way  into  one 
of  them  it  is  out  of  sight  at  the  first  turn  of  the 
creek,  and  its  cargo  can  be  put  ashore  any 
where." 

"  But  how  about  disposing  of  the  goods  with 
out  detection?  "  asked  Roger. 

"  Oh,  that's  easy  enough.  The  British  ship 
ping  laws  and  trade  exactions  are  so  oppressive 
that  very  few  of  the  colonists  have  ever  felt 

35 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

much  compunction  in  buying  smuggled  goods. 
In  New  England  smuggling  for  years  amount 
ed  almost  to  a  regular  commerce.  There  was 
far  less  of  it  in  the  Southern  colonies,  but  still 
there  was  a  good  deal  and  it  was  easily  man 
aged.  The  British  law  prohibited  the  importa 
tion  of  tea  into  the  colonies  from  any  country 
but  England,  but  a  good  deal  of  the  tea  used  in 
Carolina  before  independence  was  declared, 
was  bought  for  less  money  than  it  would  have 
cost  in  England.  But  the  smuggling  has  been 
mostly  outward  bound.  There  are  better  mar 
kets  than  England  affords  for  cotton,  indigo 
and  tobacco,  and  as  the  British  law  prohibited 
the  shipment  of  such  goods  to  any  but  British 
ports,  why,  naturally  the  smugglers  had  not 
much  difficulty  in  finding  outbound  cargoes."  * 


*  About  1750,  in  an  official  report,  the  Royal  Governor 
Glen  said  to  the  Lords  Commissioners  in  England: 
"  There  is  no  country  in  the  world  where  there  is  less 
illegal  trade,  at  least  so  far  as  I  can  learn."  Perhaps 
Gov.  Glen  did  not  "  learn  "  quite  all  that  some  others 
knew  on  this  subject.  He  added :  "  If  there  were  any 
it  would  be  difficult  to  prevent  by  reason  of  the  great 
numbers  of  rivers  and  creeks  and  the  small  number  of 
officers  of  the  revenue."  Tradition  tells  us  that  during 
the  quarter  of  a  century  after  Gov.  Glen  made  his  report, 
the  smugglers  more  and  more  availed  themselves  of 
the  geographical  advantages  to  which  he  had  directed 
their  attention.— Author. 

36 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Roger  was  not  listening.  He  had  relin 
quished  the  helm  to  Humphreys,  and  taken  his 
station  in  the  bow,  forward  of  the  mast.  He 
was  excited.  He  neither  saw  nor  heard,  but 
sat  silent,  as  a  supremely  angry  or  a  desperately 
determined  man  might.  He  had  planned  this 
voyage  with  a  frequently  sinking  heart,  in 
ignorance  of  what  might  or  might  not  be  the 
restrictions  imposed  upon  persons  leaving  the 
island,  an  ignorance  all  the  more  tormenting 
because  he  dared  not  remove  it  by  inquiry  of 
any  sort.  From  the  beginning  he  had  been 
painfully  apprehensive  that  at  the  last  moment 
his  flight  would  in  some  way  be  stopped  and  all 
his  hopes  brought  to  naught.  Now  at  last  he 
was  free.  He  was  out  on  a  wilderness  of 
waves,  in  a  frail  open  boat,  it  was  true,  but 
there  was  now  no  official  arm  to  restrain  him 
and  nothing  more  unfriendly  than  the  surging 
waters  of  the  Gulf  Stream  between  him  and 
his  native  land  in  whose  behalf  he  was  hasten 
ing  to  take  up  arms.  The  release  from  the 
long  tension  was  more  than  he  could  bear  and 
he  sat  there  dumb  in  the  bow  of  the  boat,  while 
every  pulse  throbbed  painfully  with  suppressed 
emotion. 

An  hour  passed  and  a  ship's  light  appeared 
immediately  ahead.  Suddenly  the  thought 

37 


448108 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

came  to  Roger's  half-dazed  mind  that  his  com 
panion  had  proved  treacherous  after  all  and  in 
stead  of  putting  to  sea  had  sailed  again  into  the 
harbor  and  was  now  approaching  the  warships 
at  anchor  there.  He  sprang  to  his  feet  and 
turned  savagely  upon  the  helmsman. 

"  What  light  is  that,  sir?  "  he  cried. 

"  Stand  off,  sir/'  called  Humphreys.  "  Let 
her  come  round  or  that  ship  will  run  us  down 
in  five  seconds."  With  that  he  "  gibed  "  the 
boom,  bringing  the  boat  about  with  a  sudden 
ness  that  wellnigh  overturned  her,  Roger 
dodging  the  swinging  boom  just  in  time  to 
save  himself  from  being  knocked  overboard. 
When  the  boat  righted  herself  she  was  half  full 
of  water. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Captain,"  the  man  re 
sumed  when  the  danger  was  past.  "  But  I 
was  depending  upon  you  to  call  lights.  I  can't 
see  them  very  well  here  abaft  the  sail.  Still,  it 
was  my  business  to  see  that  ship's  lights.  She 
was  bearing  right  down  upon  us.  You  see  as 
we  carry  no  light  we  must  look  out  for  our 
selves." 

Roger  was  heartily  ashamed  of  having 
doubted  his  companion,  and  he  gave  vent  to 
his  emotion  by  grasping  his  friend's  hand  and 
saying : 

38 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  1  know  I  ought  to  have  called  the  light,  but 
I  think  I've  been  half  beside  myself  since  we 
cleared  the  harbor.  I  have  slept  scarcely  an 
hour  for  a  week  past,  and  what  with  that  and 
the  release  of  the  strain,  my  nerves  gave  way  I 
think.  I'm  all  right  now,  and  I'll  not  be  care 
less  again." 

"  I  saw  you  were  excited,"  responded 
Humphreys.  "  Otherwise  I  should  have  asked 
you  sooner  about  our  course  and  destination. 
We'll  talk  it  over  if  you  please,  as  soon  as  I 
bail  this  water  out.  If  you'll  take  the  helm 
and  hold  her  as  she  is  for  half  an  hour,  I'll  have 
her  dry  again." 

"  No,"  said  Roger,  "  I'm  to  blame  for  that 
water  and  I'll  bail  it  out,"  and  with  that  he  be 
gan  work  vigorously,  finding  in  active  exer 
tion  a  much-needed  relief  for  his  over-strained 
nerves. 

When  the  boat  was  free  of  water  Roger  sat 
down  by  the  mast  and  said : 

"  I'm  quite  myself  again  now,  and  ready  to 
hear  what  you  have  to  suggest  as  to  our  course. 
I  suppose  it  is  hardly  necessary  however  for 
me  to  discuss  the  matter.  You  know  the  way 
to  Charles  Town  better  than  I  do,  and  that's 
where  we're  bound." 

"  Very  well,  sir,  if  you  say  so." 

39 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

11 1  don't  catch  your  drift,"  said  Roger  in 
quiringly.  "  Of  what  were  you  thinking?  " 

"  Only  that  Charles  Town  is  probably  in  the 
hands  of  the  British  just  now." 

"  What !  Charles  Town  ?  When  did  you 
hear?" 

"  I  have  heard  nothing  definite,"  answered 
Humphreys;  "but  there  was  a  rumor  ashore 
that  an  expedition  has  been  sent  from  New 
York  to  the  South  lately  and  that  Savannah 
was  captured  some  time  last  month.  Those 
sleepy  islanders  may  have  dreamed  the  whole 
thing,  but  it  is  worth  while  to  take  all  precau 
tions." 

"  Certainly.  It  would  be  a  melancholy  end 
ing  of  our  voyage  to  find  ourselves  cap 
tives  and  forced  to  choose  between  British 
protection  and  a  British  prison.  What's  your 
idea? '' 

"  Well  if  they  have  taken  Savannah  it  gives 
them  a  base  of  operations,  and  that  is  what  they 
have  taken  it  for.  They  mean  to  overrun 
Georgia  and  the  Carolinas,  and  I  should  think 
their  first  point  of  attack  after  Savannah  would 
be  Charles  Town.  It  seems  likely  therefore 
that  if  they  have  really  taken  Savannah,  they 
are  by  this  time  either  in  Charles  Town  or  close 
ly  besieging  it  by  land  and  sea.  In  either  case 

40 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

that  harbor  isn't  a  desirable  one  for  us  to 
make." 

"  Can  we  not  make  for  Georgetown  then?  " 

"  It  seems  an  unnecessary  risk.  We  should 
have  to  make  a  run  of  six  or  seven  hundred 
miles  in  all,  and  every  additional  mile  brings 
additional  danger.  We're  not  afraid  of  death, 
of  course,  else  we  shouldn't  be  out  here  in  a 
boat  that  is  hardly  fit  for  navigating  a  creek; 
but  we  don't  want  to  fail,  and  the  longer  our 
voyage  is,  the  greater  is  our  chance  of  failure." 

"  What  do  you  advise?  "  asked  Roger. 

"  We've  three  or  four  courses  open  to  us," 
said  Humphreys,  who  had  evidently  thought 
the  problem  out  in  his  own  mind.  "  From  here 
to  the  Florida  coast  the  distance  is  small — not 
more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  or  per 
haps  less.  We  might  sail  west,  therefore,  and 
reach  land  by  the  day  after  to-morrow,  but  we 
should  then  be  about  as  far  from  our  destina 
tion  in  South  Carolina  as  we  are  now,  and  a 
British  army  would  probably  occupy  the  coun 
try  we'd  have  to  travel  through.  My  notion 
is  that  we'd  better  take  advantage  of  the  Gulf 
Stream,  and  sail  northward  till  we  reach  the 
latitude  of  Savannah,  then  make  west  till  we 
sight  the  coast.  After  that  we  can  lay  to  till 
night  and  then  run  up  the  coast  and  into  some 

41 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

inlet  or  other.  If  we  can  get  into  some  little 
stream  like  the  Ashepoo,  the  Edisto,  the  Com- 
babee,  the  Stono,  the  Coosawhatchie  or  the 
Pocotaligo,  we  shall  be  safe  even  if  the  whole 
country  is  overrun.  We  can  stay  in  the  woods 
till  we  learn  the  position  of  affairs  and  how  to 
make  our  way  up  country.  There's  always 
plenty  of  game  and  fish  to  eat  along  such 
creeks." 

"  But  how  are  we  to  find  an  entrance — par 
ticularly  at  night  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  can  manage  that,"  said  Humph 
reys  with  a  note  of  confidence  in  his  voice. 

"  You  know  the  coast  well,  then,"  said 
Roger.  "  Your  home  is  there  perhaps." 

"  I  have  no  home,"  said  the  other.  "  But  I 
do  know  the  coast.  As  a  seaman  it  is  my  busi 
ness  to  know  something  of  all  coasts  in  this 
quarter  of  the  world,  and  besides  I  have  had 
particular  occasion  to  learn  a  good  deal  about 
that  of  the  Carolinas." 

"  Let  us  sail  for  the  Gulf  Stream  then,"  said 
Roger. 

"  We're  in  it  now,  sir,  and  its  current  adds 
several  miles  an  hour  to  our  sailing  speed.  If 
the  weather  holds  good  and  this  wind  lasts  we 
ought  to  make  port  in  a  week.  But  the  wea 
ther  may  not  hold  and  if  it  should  come  on  to 

42 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

blow  even  a  moderate  gale,  it  will  take  both  of 
us  night  and  day  to  handle  the  boat.  So  you'd 
better  get  some  sleep  on  the  half  deck  while 
you  can.  I'm  fresh,  and  I'm  good  for  this 
night  easily.  You  must  have  some  sleep,  or 
you'll  not  be  fit  for  work  in  case  of  a  storm." 

The  soundness  of  this  view  was  so  clearly 
manifest  that  Roger  accepted  it  without  demur. 
He  was  soon  sleeping  soundly  on  the  little  half 
deck  with  his  head  resting  upon  the  gunwale. 
The  boat  sped  on  through  the  waves  as  he  slept, 
carrying  him  every  moment  nearer  to  the  home 
land  he  had  left  seven  years  before. 


43 


Ill 

IN  which  ROGER  ALTON  encounters  an  EMBAR- 
RASSMENT 

/T  was  a  night  of  storm  and  heavy  seas  on 
which  the  two  voyagers  at  last  ap 
proached  the  coast.  They  had  sighted 
Hilton  Head  early  in  the  morning  and  all 
day  had  run  up  the  coast  with  the  wind 
blowing  hard  almost  abeam.  At  ten  o'clock  at 
night,  with  a  black  pall  of  cloud  overhead,  the 
wind  blowing  directly  on  shore,  the  inky  coast 
line  within  sight,  in  spite  of  the  darkness,  and 
the  line  of  breakers  so  near  on  the  boat's  lee 
that  their  roar  made  the  hearing  of  speech  al 
most  impossible,  Humphreys  calmly  sat  at  the 
helm  and  held  his  course  northward.  It  was  a 
perilous  thing  to  run  so  close  to  the  breakers, 
and  on  the  part  of  one  less  familiar  with  the 
coast  than  Humphreys  was  it  would  have  been 
an  inexcusably  reckless  thing  to  do. 

"  I  know  this  breaker  line  so  well,"  he  ex 
plained  to  his  companion,  "  that  I  can  afford 
to  take  risks,  and  I'm  hugging  it  as  close  as 

44 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

possible  in  order  to  make  out  the  coast.  You 
see  I've  got  to  know  exactly  where  I  am,  and 
the  night  is  so  dark  that  I  can't  make  out  even 
the  coast  line  at  any  considerable  distance. 
There !  I  know  where  we  are  now  " — staring 
out  into  the  blackness  that  to  Roger's  eyes  was 
wholly  featureless.  "  Can  you  take  the  helm 
now  and  hold  her  steady  in  this  sea?  I'll  take 
the  lookout  forward  and  see  if  we  can't  slip  into 
some  inlet.  It's  so  dark  that  I  can  hardly 
make  out  the  landmarks  while  bending  over 
this  binnacle  lamp.  Dim  as  it  is  it  spoils  my 
eyes  for  seeing  in  the  dark." 

Roger  went  to  the  helm  and  Humphreys  took 
his  stand  on  the  locker  top,  clinging  to  the  mast 
for  support  as  the  little  craft  bobbed  about  like 
a  cork  upon  the  surging  sea.  From  time  to 
time  he  called  out  directions  to  Roger  for  slight 
changes  in  the  course.  Meantime  the  gale 
steadily  increased  in  fury  until  it  seemed 
scarcely  possible  for  the  boat  to  weather  it 
longer.  Twice  she  shipped  seas  that  wellnigh 
swamped  her,  but  the  only  heed  Humphreys 
gave  was  expressed  in  a  steering  direction,  giv 
en  without  a  sign  of  excitement,  though  in  a 
voice  loud  enough  to  be  heard  above  the  howl 
ing  of  the  tempest. 

"  Port  a  little,  sir — steady — starboard — that 

45 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

will  do — try  and  hold  her  so."  Somehow 
these  slight  changes  in  their  course  seemed  so 
well  timed  as  to  afford  all  needed  relief,  and 
although  Roger's  feet  were  well  under  water, 
no  more  billows  broke  over  the  gunwale  after 
Humphreys  began  directing  the  course  with 
reference  to  that  danger. 

After  running  thus  for  an  hour  perhaps, 
Humphreys  suddenly  cried  out,  with  the  first 
note  of  excitement  that  had  sounded  in  his 
voice : 

"  Hard  a  starboard,  sir — hard  a  starboard ! 
Bring  her  around  quick !  Never  mind  the  sea ! 
She'll  stand  it."  Then  as  the  boat  came  round, 
head  on  to  the  black  shore  line,  he  shouted: 
"  Let  out  the  sheet !  Let  her  run  free !  Give 
her  every  stitch  of  canvas  straight  before  the 
wind,  and  hold  her  so !  " 

Roger  supposed  that  for  some  reason 
Humphreys  had  decided  to  beach  the  boat,  and 
was  trying,  by  showing  all  sail  and  running 
head  on  toward  land,  to  send  her  as  far  as  pos 
sible  through  the  surf  and  up  on  the  sand  reach 
es.  The  young  man  quivered  with  excite 
ment  over  the  desperate  chance,  expecting  with 
each  moment  to  feel  the  deadly  thump  of  the 
sand  bars  upon  the  keel  of  the  boat.  But  the 
little  craft  forged  on  toward  the  line  of  trees, 

46 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

now  plainly  visible,  great  waves  breaking 
over  her  stern  now  and  then,  with  the  threat  of 
swamping  her. 

"  Ease  her  up  a  little,  sir,  and  port  a  little," 
cried  the  man  in  a  voice  now  cold  and  emotion 
less,  as  he  quitted  his  post  and  stepped  down 
from  the  half  deck,  with  the  air  of  one  whose 
difficult  task  is  done. 

As  he  did  so,  to  Roger's  astonishment,  the 
boat  glided  into  still  water  overhung  with  trees. 
She  seemed  to  him  to  have  cleft  a  niche  for 
herself  in  the  rigid  and  threatening  coast  line. 
In  fact  she  had  been  dexterously  sailed  into  the 
mouth  of  a  little  stream  which  Humphreys  had 
seen  clearly  enough  though  his  companion  had 
not  been  able  to  discern  the  smallest  sug 
gestion  of  a  break  in  the  frowning  front  of 
the  coast. 

"  Where  are  we?  "  he  asked  eagerly  as  the 
boat  drifted  upon  the  smooth  land-locked  inlet, 
and  Humphreys  set  himself  at  work  to  relieve 
her  of  the  water  she  had  shipped  in  the  perilous 
run  ashore. 

"  We  are  in  the  mouth  of  a  little  creek  that 
runs  into  or  out  of  the  mouth  of  a  sound,"  an 
swered  the  other.  "  In  fact,  it  runs  both  ways 
— sometimes  one  way  and  sometimes  the  other 
— according  to  the  tide." 

47 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  How  on  earth  did  you  find  it  in  the  black 
ness  of  such  a  night?  " 

"  I  was  here  five  years  ago  on  just  such  a 
night,  and  I  remembered  the  look  of  the  coast 
pretty  well.  I  was  running  out  then,  and  look 
ing  back.  I  had  reason  to  look  earnestly  and 
to  fasten  the  scene  upon  my  memory.  Besides, 
I've  been  about  here  many  times  since.  We've 
been  inside  the  sound's  mouth  for  some  little 
time  but  it  is  as  rough  as  the  sea  outside,  with 
the  storm  beating  straight  into  it,  so  I  hunted 
for  the  creek  as  a  harbor.  We  must  work  up 
the  inlet  a  little  way  and  camp  for  the  night. 
In  the  morning  you  can  find  out  the  situation 
of  affairs,  so  that  you  may  know  what  to  do. 
There's  a  plantation  house  up  here  a  little  way, 
where  you  can  make  inquiries." 

Roger  could  not  help  observing  that  the  man 
said  "  you  "  and  not  "  we,"  but  he  said  noth 
ing.  Instead,  he  joined  his  companion  in  the 
toilsome  task  of  rowing  the  boat  up  the  stream 
with  the  two  clumsy  oars  that  were  a  part  of  her 
equipment.  Towards  morning,  at  Humphreys's 
suggestion,  they  halted  and  tied  up  their  craft 
in  a  part  of  the  creek  which  was  completely 
screened  from  observation  by  a  dense  forest 
growth  and  a  denser  thicket  of  cane  and  vine 
in  the  surrounding  swamp  lands. 

48 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Humphreys  stretched  himself  upon  the  little 
deck,  as  soon  as  the  boat  was  made  fast,  but 
Roger,  with  his  young  man's  enthusiasm,  de 
clared  his  purpose  to  sleep  that  night  upon  the 
soil  of  his  native  land,  and,,  leaping  ashore,  he 
lay  down  upon  the  ground,  wrapped  only  in  his 
cloak,  and  sank  at  once  into  the  slumber  of  a 
healthy  man  thoroughly  exhausted  with  strenu 
ous  exertion  and  still  more  strenuous  anxiety, 
long  continued  but  now  at  an  end. 

When  he  waked  he  found  Humphreys  busy 
over  a  fire  which  he  had  kindled  not  far  away. 
The  man  had  killed  and  dressed  two  squirrels 
and  was  now  broiling  them  for  breakfast. 

"  Isn't  it  a  trifle  dangerous  to  kindle  a  fire 
here?"  asked  Roger.  "The  country  may  be 
full  of  British  soldiers  for  aught  we  know  to 
the  contrary." 

"No,"  replied  Humphreys;  "they  could 
have  no  possible  object  in  coming  away  down 
here  to  the  sea  where  there  is  no  enemy  to  en 
counter,  and  no  position  to  defend.  You  may 
depend  upon  it  that  there  are  no  military  forces 
within  twenty  or  thirty  miles  of  us  at  the  near 
est,  even  if  they  have  marched  upon  Charles 
Town  and  are  holding  the  low  country.  And 
besides  it  is  fully  three  miles  to  the  nearest  edge 
of  these  woods.  The  only  house  near — and 

49 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

that  is  four  miles  up  the  creek — is  the  widow 
Vargave's.  She  owns  the  plantation  to 
which  these  woods  belong.  After  breakfast 
you  can  go  to  her  house  if  you  will  and  find 
out  what  the  situation  is.  She  is  a  patriot,  you 
may  be  sure,  and  she  knows  your  father  well." 

"Do  you  mean  Mrs.  William  Vargave?" 
asked  Roger. 

"  Yes,  she  owns  the  land  we  are  camping 
upon." 

"  Oh !  well,  I  knew  her  intimately,  when  I 
was  a  boy.  But  you  called  her  a  widow.  Is 
Mr.  Vargave  dead  ?  " 

"  He  is  supposed  to  have  been  drowned  out 
there  in  the  mouth  of  the  sound  five  years  ago. 
His  body  was  never  recovered,  I  believe." 

"  Do  you  know  Mrs.  Vargave  ?  " 

"  No,  oh  no,"  answered  the  other  quickly. 
"  I  have  no  acquaintances  in  South  Carolina." 

"  I'll  introduce  you  then,"  said  Roger. 
"  She  will  welcome  any  gentleman  whom  I 
introduce  as  my  friend." 

"  You  forget,"  said  the  man  moodily.  "  I 
am  not  a  gentleman,  and  the  agreement  be 
tween  you  and  me  to  be  friends  was  limited  to 
our  voyage  together.  I  shall  certainly  cherish 
feelings  of  friendship  towards  you  so  long  as  I 
live,  but  I  am  not  the  sort  of  man  whom  you 

50 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

should  call  friend.  Above  all  I  cannot  permit 
you  to  introduce  me  to  any  of  your  friends. 
That  reminds  me  that  I  have  a  very  earnest 
request  to  make  of  you.  After  you  return 
from  Mrs.  Vargave's  house  with  the  informa 
tion  needed  you  and  I  must  part  company.  I 
beg  of  you,  if  it  is  possible,  to  forget  that  you 
ever  knew  me  at  all.  Pray  say  as  little  as  may 
be  in  any  event  about  the  unknown  sailor  who 
voyaged  with  you  from  the  Bahamas.  If  you 
ever  meet  me  again — as  you  easily  may  during 
the  war,  for  we  have  both  come  to  Carolina  to 
fight — please  let  our  meeting  be  that  of  abso 
lute  strangers.  If  anybody  introduces  us  to 
each  other,  as  somebody  may, — very  well,  you 
can  safely  know  me  after  that.  But  I  beg  of 
you,  say  nothing  of  any  previous  acquaintance 
between  us." 

"  But  my  dear  friend "  began  Roger 

protestingly. 

"I  know,"  interrupted  Humphreys,  "all  this 
seems  unnatural  and  ungrateful  in  me,  but  I 
cannot  help  myself.  Neither  can  I  explain. 
In  making  my  requests  I  am  terribly  in  earnest 
and  if  you  refuse  to  grant  them  you  will  do 
me  a  much  sharper  hurt  than  you  imagine.  You 
will  in  that  case  compel  me  to  quit  Carolina 
again,  even  if  I  have  to  put  to  sea  astride  of  a 

51 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

log.  Will  you  not  promise  what  I  ask,  in  mem 
ory  of  the  dangers  we  have  shared  together  ?  " 

"  Yes.  In  the  memory  of  those  dangers  and 
of  the  faithfulness  of  your  friendship,  I  prom 
ise  what  you  ask,  though  I  cannot  understand 
why  you  ask  it,"  said  Roger,  grasping  the  man's 
hand.  "  Whatever  else  you  may  or  may  not 
be,  you  have  been  to  me  a  faithful  comrade 
under  circumstances  that  ought  to  bind  any  two 
men  together.  I  respect  your  desire  for  se 
crecy  concerning  yourself.  If  we  meet,  we  meet 
as  strangers  and  any  subsequent  acquaintance 
between  us  will  date  from  that  hour." 

"  Thank  you  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart!  " 
responded  Humphreys  with  a  warm  hand- 
grasp. 

Breakfast  over  Roger  set  out  to  visit  Mrs. 
Vargave,  having  received  from  Humphreys 
minute  directions  as  to  the  way. 

It  was  one  of  those  brilliantly  sunlit,  all- 
vivifying  mornings  which  are  of  almost  daily 
occurrence  on  that  sub-tropical  coast  in  January 
and  February,  but  which  people  farther  north 
are  glad  to  welcome  as  occasional  visitors  in 
June.  A  young  man  afoot  on  such  a  morning 
could  hardly  fail  to  be  happy,  and  when  we  re 
member  that  to  other  causes  of  rejoicing  there 
was  added  the  circumstance  that  this  young 

52 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

man  had  just  landed  from  a  perilous  voyage, 
and  was  again  on  his  native  shores  after  so 
long  an  absence,  there  is  no  occasion  to  wonder 
that  his  step  was  light  and  his  spirits  buoyant, 
in  spite  of  his  weariness  from  the  prolonged 
struggle  with  the  sea. 

But  he  fell  a-thinking,  as  he  trudged  onward 
through  the  woodlands.  His  friend  of  the 
boat  was  an  enigma  that  troubled  him.  The 
man  was  and  was  not  what  he  professed  to  be. 
Obviously  he  was  a  sailor.  So  much  he  had 
proved  by  his  masterly  handling  of  the  boat. 
But  who  ever  heard  a  sailor  talk  as  he  did? 
His  manner  was  that  of  a  man  bred  in  good 
social  surroundings,  yet  he  had  taken  pains  to 
declare  several  times  that  he  was  not  a  gentle 
man.  He  knew  this  coast  with  wonderful 
minuteness  and  accuracy;  he  had  even  de 
scribed  to  Roger  the  windings  and  the  features 
of  the  woodland  footpath  he  was  now  follow 
ing;  and  yet  he  had  distinctly  denied  that  he 
lived  in  the  Carolinas,  and  declared  that  he  had 
no  acquaintances  in  the  state. 

It  was  exceedingly  annoying  to  have  con 
jecture  baffled  in  this  way,  but  that  was  the 
least  disagreeable  part  of  the  matter.  For  as 
he  meditated  upon  the  singular  case  an  explana 
tion  of  the  mystery  occurred  to  young  Alton, 

53 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

an  explanation  which  seemed  sufficiently  to  ac 
count  for  all  the  puzzling  circumstances  of  the 
case.  That  explanation  supposed  a  fact  which 
the  young  man  found  it  very  disagreeable  to 
contemplate.  The  man  must  have  been  a 
pirate.  Piracy  in  a  small  way  was  common 
enough  in  those  days,  especially  in  the  seas 
which  had  cast  this  man  upon  Roger's  ac 
quaintance.  He  might  have  been  once  a  gentle 
man  somewhere,  which  would  account  for  his 
speech  and  manner.  If  he  had  been  a  pirate 
that  fact  would  account  for  his  seamanship  and 
for  his  extraordinary  familiarity  with  details 
concerning  this  coast,  on  which  he  might  have 
had  frequent  occasion  to  take  refuge  for  pur 
poses  of  concealment.  Yet  if  this  assumption 
was  correct  why  was  the  man  now  risking  his 
neck  by  boldly  returning  to  the  Carolinas  to 
enter  the  active  military  service?  Surely,  one 
who  knew  the  country  so  well  would  be  recog 
nized  by  some  one,  and  piracy  is  an  offence 
never  forgotten  or  forgiven. 

Then  Roger  remembered  the  queer  little 
chest  of  gold.  Where  did  that  come  from? 
Why  had  the  man  with  evident  dejection  and 
humiliation  protested  that  it  did  not  belong  to 
him — that  he  held  it  in  trust  for  others  and  had 
no  right  to  use  it  as  his  own?  Late  coming 

54 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

prickings  of  conscience  might  perhaps  have 
taught  him  this  with  respect  to  ill-gotten  gains, 
and  he  might  now  be  bent  upon  devoting  both 
the  money  and  his  life  to  the  cause  of  Ameri 
can  independence  as  a  sort  of  atonement  for 
years  of  crime.  And  his  extraordinary  earn 
estness  in  pledging  Roger  to  silence  as  to  their 
association !  He  feared,  doubtless,  that  he 
might  be  brought  to  justice  after  awhile  and 
was  generously  anxious  to  save  Roger  from 
sharing  his  disgrace  and  punishment  by  con 
cealing  the  fact  that  they  had  made  a  tech 
nically  piratical  voyage  together,  without  clear 
ance  papers,  slipping  out  of  a  port  without  no 
tice  to  the  authorities,  and  landing  surrepti 
tiously  where  there  was  no  port  at  all. 

All  these  suggestions  pressed  themselves  up 
on  the  young  man's  mind  and  troubled  him 
sorely,  for  he  had  conceived  a  very  strong  lik 
ing  for  the  man  who  had  shared  the  dangers  of 
his  voyage  and  brought  him  safely  home  again. 
It  troubled  him  mightily  to  think  ill  of  so  tried 
a  friend;  but  when  this  theory  of  the  man's 
history  had  once  suggested  itself,  there  seemed 
to  him  no  escape  from  its  extreme  probability. 
All  that  he  knew  of  Humphreys  seemed  to 
point  directly  to  this  conclusion.  Every  cir 
cumstance  tended  to  confirm  the  suspicion. 

55 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Every  act  and  attitude  of  the  man  was  con 
sonant  with  this  theory  and  with  no  other  that 
Roger  could  frame.  The  young  man  tried 
hard  to  dismiss  his  suspicions  and  retain  his 
faith  in  his  friend,  but  without  success. 

When  he  reached  the  Vargave  house  he 
found  it  a  substantial  brick  structure,  almost 
square,  with  a  broad  veranda  running  all  the 
way  around  it,  after  a  style  that  still  obtains 
somewhat  in  that  region  because  of  the  need 
of  shade.  There  was  a  broad  passageway,  or 
hall  running  through  the  house  from  front  to 
rear,  with  great  double  doors — now  thrown 
wide  open — at  either  end.  Roger  had  never 
seen  this  house,  which,  with  the  surrounding 
plantation,  had  come  to  Mrs.  Vargave's  daugh 
ter  by  inheritance  since  his  departure  from  the 
country.  It  bore  no  marks  of  wealth,  but  there 
was  about  it  a  delightful  atmosphere  of  com 
fortable  repose.  An  avenue  of  live  oaks,  fes 
tooned  with  long  gray  moss,  led  up  to  the  outer 
gate,  while  within  the  small  house-grounds  the 
surface  was  covered  thick  with  flowering  shrub 
bery,  which  in  that  region,  where  lawns  cannot 
grow,  is  a  necessary  sanitary  protection  of  the 
soil  from  the  sun. 

Roger  walked  between  the  two  beds  of  cape 
jessamine  which  bounded  the  immediate  ap- 

56 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

proach,  and,  crossing  the  broad  piazza,  was  met 
at  the  door,  as  he  afterwards  expressed  it,  by 
an  "  embarrassment,"  which  put  his  wits  to 
flight  on  the  instant.  This  "  embarrassment  " 
was  in  fact  a  radiantly  beautiful  young  woman, 
who  happened  to  be  crossing  the  hallway  just 
as  Mr.  Alton  reached  the  front  door.  She 
was  engaged  in  putting  the  finishing  touches 
to  the  morning's  housework,  and  held  a  broad 
straw  hat,  filled  with  a  disordered  array  of 
flowers,  in  both  her  hands.  Her  hair  had 
"  come  down  "  during  her  stay  in  the  garden, 
and  now  hung  loosely  over  her  shoulders  in 
great,  irregular  brown  masses,  with  a  glint  of 
burnished  copper  in  their  waves.  In  short  the 
young  woman  was  charmingly  "  unpresent 
able  "  as  to  her  toilet,  wearing  as  she  did  a 
girlish  bib  apron  over  her  white  morning  gown. 
When,  with  a  snatch  of  song  on  her  lips,  she 
suddenly  found  herself  confronted  by  a  good- 
looking  young  man  whose  knee  breeches, 
brass-buttoned  blue  coat  and  jaunty  cocked 
hat — for  Roger  had  dressed  himself  in  his  best 
before  leaving  the  boat — marked  him  at  once 
as  a  "  fine  gentleman,"  she  paused  in  pictur 
esque  embarrassment. 

Now   Roger   Alton  had   seen   many  pretty 
girls,  of  many  types  in  many  lands.     He  had 

57 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

been  carefully  instructed  from  his  youth  up  in 
the  high  art  of  bowing  low  and  yet  keeping  the 
blood  out  of  his  neck  and  forehead.  But  his 
education  failed  him  lamentably  at  the  very 
moment  of  sharpest  need.  He  bowed,  it  is 
true,  but  awkwardly  and  with  a  stare,  and  he 
blushed  scandalously. 

The  young  woman  was  the  first  to  recover 
her  self-possession.  Young  women  always  are 
first  to  do  that  upon  such  occasions.  With  an 
amused  smile  she  swept  a  stately  courtesy,  and 
greeted  the  guest  with  a  cordial  "  good  morn 
ing,  sir." 

With  many  a  stammer  and  a  wholly  unreas 
onable  amount  of  blood  in  his  face,  Roger  man 
aged  at  last  to  announce  himself. 

"  I  am  Roger  Alton,  and  I  have  taken  the 
liberty  of  calling  to  see  Mrs.  Vargave." 

"  And  I,  sir,  am  Helen  Vargave.  I  am 
very  glad  to  see  you,  Mr.  Alton,  and  mamma 
will  be  delighted,  I  am  sure.  We  had  not  heard 
of  your  return  to  America." 

With  that  she  ushered  the  guest  into  the 
drawing-room,  holding  his  hand  in  hers,  and 
rang  for  a  maid  to  announce  his  arrival  to 
her  mother.  Then,  as  if  suddenly  remember 
ing  her  disordered  appearance — she  had  prob 
ably  been  conscious  of  it  all  the  while — she  said : 

58 


"  I  am  Roger  Alton." 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  I  hope  you  do  not  remember  me,  Mr.  Al 
ton,  else  you'll  think  me  incorrigible.  When 
you  knew  me  I  was  a  wild,,half-savage  creature, 
chiefly  remarkable  for  a  prejudice  I  cherished 
against  wearing  my  bonnet,  and  tying  my 
shoes  or  submitting  my  hair  to  the  restraints 
of  civilization.  Excuse  me  for  five  minutes 
and  I'll  try  to  prove  my  reformation." 

As  she  said  this,  Roger  glanced  at  a  pretty 
little  slippered  foot  which  was  just  peeping  out 
from  beneath  her  gown,  and  recovering  his 
gallantry  with  his  self-possession,  said: 

"  I'm  sure  I  see  nothing  which  I  do  not  ad 
mire  about  the  shoes  or  the  hair  just  now,  and 
I  do  remember  very  distinctly " 

But  the  elusive  young  woman  had  already 
courtesied  herself  out  of  the  room — true  to  the 
instinct  of  a  daughter  of  Eve,  to  put  her  fig 
leaves  in  proper  array  for  masculine  inspection. 

Mr.  Roger  Alton  presently  began  doubting 
the  actuality  of  the  vision  he  had  seen.  I  am 
wholly  unable  to  explain  his  incredulity,  as 
there  was  certainly  nothing  at  war  with  na 
ture's  order  in  the  fact  that  the  little  girl  of 
seven  or  eight  years  ago  was  a  grown  young 
woman  now.  But  Roger  was  for  the  moment 
unable  to  believe  his  senses,  and  before  he  had 
done  speculating  upon  the  possibility  that  he 

59 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

might  be  in  a  dream,  Mrs.  Vargave  appeared 
and  greeted  him  cordially. 

While  he  was  explaining  to  her  the  sudden 
ness  of  his  arrival  and  the  manner  of  his  com 
ing,  Mistress  Helen  returned,  announcing  her 
self  as  "  dressed  and  in  her  right  mind." 

"  Mr.  Alton  caught  me  in  shocking  disorder, 
mamma,"  she  said.  "  I  really  believe  he  was 
frightened.  He  could  scarcely  speak  at  all." 

"  Say  I  was  stunned,  rather,"  he  replied, 
"  and  then  pray  tell  me  why  it  is  that  comely 
young  women  always  run  out  of  sight  when 
anybody  finds  them  really  at  their  best  in 
the  way  of  appearance?  In  trying  to  hide 
your  beautiful  hair  in  a  knot  behind  your  head, 
and  laying  off  your  becoming  apron,  you  have 
done  all  you  could  to  spoil  the  exquisite  picture 
I  saw  framed  in  the  doorway  a  little  while  ago. 
It  is  no  thanks  to  you  that  you  could  not  quite 
accomplish  that  fell  purpose.  Nature  was  ar 
rayed  against  your  rebellious  will." 

As  Mr.  Roger  delivered  this  speech  he  looked 
at  the  fair  girl  with  a  degree  of  admiration 
which  showed  plainly  enough  that  even  combs 
and  conventionalities  had  not  greatly  marred 
the  comeliness  that  had  so  lately  startled  his 
gaze. 

The  girl  coquettishly  arose  and  courtesied 

60 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

profoundly,  with  a  laughing  mock  dignity 
which  impressed  him  as  exceedingly  charm 
ing. 

Presently  Roger  remembered  his  mission  and 
asked  concerning  the  state  of  public  affairs. 
He  learned  that  the  British  had  indeed  taken 
Savannah,  and  were  overrunning  Georgia,  but 
that  as  yet  they  had  not  crossed  the  Savannah 
River  into  South  Carolina.  The  impression 
was  general,  however,  Mrs.  Vargave  said,  that 
the  South  was  hereafter  to  bear  the  brunt  of 
the  conflict.  The  enemy  had  practically  failed 
at  the  North,  the  country  there  remaining  un- 
conquered,  even  when  all  the  principal  cities 
were  occupied  by  the  British.  The  capture  of 
Savannah  had  already  given  impudent  courage 
to  the  tories  at  the  South.  It  was  apparently 
the  British  purpose  after  overrunning  Georgia, 
to  advance  into  Carolina,  seize  Charles  Town, 
and,  leaving  a  small  force  of  regulars  with  the 
tories  to  keep  the  patriots  in  subjection,  to  push 
on  northward  to  the  conquest  of  Virginia. 
That  accomplished,  the  northern  states  could 
be  attacked  in  the  rear. 

"  The  saddest  part  of  it  all,  and  the  most 
dangerous  one,"  said  the  little  gentlewoman,  "is 
that  there  are  so  many  tories  among  us,  and  so 
many  more  of  our  people  whose  concern  for 

61 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

their  property  and  prosperity,  will  prompt  them 
to  become  tories  the  moment  the  British  seem 
to  be  masters  here." 

"  Yes,  the  cowards !  "  broke  in  the  girl,  with 
an  intensity  of  feeling  that  the  well-bred  and 
carefully  self-restrained  young  women  of  that 
day  never  permitted  themselves  to  manifest  ex 
cept  under  extraordinary  stress  of  emotion. 

Roger  looked  at  her  with  a  new  admiration. 
Here,  he  thought,  ts  a  beautiful  young  woman 
who  has  something  in  her  that  it  is  better  worth 
a  man's  while  to  love  than  mere  beauty,  however 
radiant  that  may  be.  With  the  stately  manners 
of  the  time,  he  arose  and  bowed  low,  say 
ing,— 

"  I  applaud  your  sentiment  Mistress  Helen, 
and  I  share  it  to  the  utmost.  A  tory  who  is 
such  upon  conviction,  may  perhaps  be  respect 
ed;  but  a  tory  who  betrays  his  country  and  his 
neighbors  for  the  sake  of  personal  advantage 
is  despicable  beyond  the  toleration  of  any  hon 
est  mind.  But  as  you  say,  Madam,"  turning 
again  to  Mrs.  Vargave,  "  our  worst  difficulty 
lies  in  the  existence  of  a  tory  sentiment,  and 
the  cruellest  feature  of  the  war  here  will  be 
the  conflict  between  neighbors  who  were  once 
friends,  with  all  of  treachery  and  distrust  and 
hatred  that  such  a  struggle  must  breed  among 

62 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIEP^ 

the  people.  It  will  convert  an  armed  conflict 
between  the  soldiers  of  two  nations  into  that 
cruellest  of  all  things  a  civil  war.  It  will  ar 
ray  neighbor  against  neighbor.  It  will  bring 
the  torch  into  use  where  there  ought  to  be  noth 
ing  but  legitimate  arms  employed.  It  will 
substitute  malice  for  soldierly  devotion  to  duty 
and  it  will  give  malice  abundant  opportunity  to 
wreak  its  revenges  in  ways  that  Mistress  Helen 
properly  calls  cowardly." 

"  Pray  when  did  I  become  '  Mistress  Helen  ' 
to  you,  sir  ?  You  used  to  put  no  handle  to  my 
name  in  the  old  days  when  I  used  to  spend 
delightful  weeks  at  Alton  House  and  the  big 
boy  Roger  made  flutter  mills  and  miniature 
boats  for  the  little  girl's  amusement.  Your 
stay  abroad  has  grievously  marred  your  man 
ners  sir,  I  think." 

"  Yes,  I  remember.  But  in  those  days  the 
little  girl  used  to  pay  for  the  boats  and  reward 
the  making  of  the  flutter  mills  by  throwing  her 
arms  about  the  big  boy's  neck  and " 

"  Oh,  never  mind  the  details,"  broke  in  the 
girl.  "  We  can't  quite  renew  the  past,  but 
please  call  me  just  Helen.  I  shall  not  feel  that 
it  is  really  you  if  you  don't." 

"  Very  well,  Helen,  if  you'll  call  me  just 
Roger  as  you  used  to  do." 

63 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  Oh  but  you're  going  into  the  army  and 
you're  sure  to  become  a  major  or  something, 
and  then " 

"And  then?" 

Obviously  she  didn't  know  what  then.  So 
she  changed  the  conversation,  but  after  that  it 
was  "  just  Helen  "  and  "  just  Roger  "  between 
these  two  playmates  of  the  long  gone  past. 
This  was  a  dangerous  beginning  of  renewed 
comradeship  perhaps.  But  young  people  are 
apt  to  be  reckless  of  danger  in  such  cases. 

Having  learned  that  the  Georgia  country 
south  and  west  of  the  Savannah  River  was  the 
present  scene  of  nominal  military  operations, 
and  that  there  was  no  fighting  in  immediate 
prospect,  Roger  saw  his  way  clear  to  pass  some 
time  at  his  home,  sixty  or  eighty  miles  distant, 
before  taking  the  field.  And  as  he  had  dis 
covered,  since  meeting  Helen  Vargave,  that  he 
was  excessively  weary  after  his  voyage,  he 
was  easily  persuaded  to  remain  at  the  Var- 
gaves',  as  a  camp  of  repose,  for  a  week  or  ten 
days  at  least,  before  proceeding  to  Alton 
House. 

"  I  will  send  a  servant  down  the  creek,"  said 
Mrs.  Vargave,  "  to  bring  your  boat  up  opposite 
the  house  and  remove  your  luggage,  if  you  will 
oblige  me  by  ringing  the  bell,  Roger." 

64 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  Pardon  me,"  replied  Roger,  remembering 
Humphreys  and  his  dread  of  discovery,  "  but  it 
will  be  necessary  for  me  to  go  down  there  first. 
I  have  a  queer  sailor  there,  who  is  waiting  for 
his  dismissal,  and  if  I  may  have  a  horse  I'll  ride 
down  and  see  him.  The  servants  can  bring  the 
boat  up  later  in  the  day  and  as  for  my  luggage, 
it  is  anything  but  extensive  I  assure  you.  My 
trunk,  I  suppose,  has  been  appropriated  by  this 
time  by  my  late  landlord  in  the  Bahamas.  He 
will  cherish  my  linen  doubtless  as  a  souvenir 
of  his  unfortunate  guest  who  went  fishing  one 
day  and  never  came  back.  He  will  think  of 
me  as  drowned,  and  say  '  poor  fellow/  in  Span 
ish,  and  put  on  my  shirts  with  rejoicing  that  I 
paid  my  score  before  starting  upon  the  fatal 
excursion." 

Half  an  hour  later  Roger  was  galloping 
along  the  bank  of  the  creek  toward  the  boat's 
mooring  place.  When  he  reached  the  spot, 
Humphreys  was  nowhere  to  be  seen,  and  after 
calling  him  twice  or  thrice,  Roger  began  in 
specting  the  boat.  Every  article  belonging  to 
himself  was  in  its  place,  but  all  his  companion's 
belongings  were  gone,  including  of  course  the 
queer  little  money  chest.  The  man  had  dis 
appeared  utterly,  leaving  no  trace  behind,  and 
Roger,  giving  up  the  search,  proceeded  to  in- 

65 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

spect  a  pair  of  pistols  and  a  rifle  which  he  had 
bought  in  England.  That  species  of  weapon, 
the  rifle,  was  not  very  common  in  those  days, 
especially  rifles  like  this  one  with  its  grooves 
winding  spirally  around  the  bore.  Roger  had 
been  captivated  with  the  gun  because  of  its 
deadly  accuracy  of  aim  and  its  unusually  long 
range,  and  he  had  bought  it  at  an  extortionate 
price,  for  use  in  his  coming  campaigns. 

The  salt  water  had  rusted  the  piece  some 
what,  and  while  rubbing  it  with  a  bit  of  sail 
cloth,  Roger  opened  the  little  chamber  in  the 
breech  designed  to  hold  grease  and  spare  flints. 
He  found  there  a  scrap  of  paper — a  fragment 
apparently  of  an  old  letter  sheet,  on  which 
Humphreys,  with  a  pencil  of  actual  lead — for 
plumbago  pencils  such  as  we  now  use  were  then 
unknown — had  traced  some  sentences  in  print 
ing  letters,  as  if  to  disguise  his  handwriting. 
The  note  was  in  these  words : 

"  I  find  it  necessary  to  leave  before  you  re 
turn.  You  will  find  all  your  things  in  the 
locker.  If  you  will  rip  up  the  false  flooring  of 
the  boat  you  will  find  the  bilge  filled  with  bars 
of  lead.  I  put  the  metal  there  without  your 
knowledge,  during  the  night  before  we  sailed, 
partly  to  serve  as  necessary  ballast,  and  partly 
because  I  knew  how  useful  it  would  be  for  bul- 

66 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

lets.  I  said  nothing  to  you  about  it,  because  its 
importation  was  in  fact  a  smuggling  of  contra 
band  goods,  or  would  have  been  so  regarded  if 
we  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  British  authori 
ties.  I  did  not  want  you  to  share  the  responsi 
bility  of  such  an  operation.  Farewell.  Re 
member  your  promise.  If  we  meet  again  we 
do  not  know  each  other.  If  we  meet  no  more 
God  bless  you!  I  shall  place  this  paper  where 
you  are  sure  to  find  it  when  you  return  to  the 
boat." 

To  this  there  was  no  name  signed.  Roger 
placed  it  in  his  pocket,  and  tore  up  a  strip  of  the 
boat's  false  flooring.  There  he  found  the  lead, 
closely  packed  and  securely  held  in  place  by  the 
strongly-fastened  floor  boards.  He  estimated 
its  weight  at  about  four  hundred  pounds,  and 
rejoiced  in  the  opportunity  of  making  so  valu 
able  a  contribution  to  the  patriot  cause. 

"  Poor  Humphreys !  "  he  thought.  "  How 
and  where  did  he  get  it  all?  He  had  no 
money  with  which  to  buy  it,  unless  perhaps  he 
spent  the  last  of  his  scant  supply  in  this  pur 
chase,  leaving  himself  penniless.  Wonder 
how  he  will  manage  to  travel  inland  without  a 
copper  in  his  pockets  ?  Well,  at  any  rate  he  is 
a  man  of  fertile  resource,  and  he'll  take  care  of 
himself,  doubtless." 

67 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

With  that,  Roger  remounted  and  rode  away, 
his  pistols  in  his  belt  and  his  rifle  over  his 
shoulder. 


68 


IV 

IN  which  DESTINY  takes  the  HELM 

71    TOW  that  all  the  difficulties  of  his 
/  I/        home  coming  were  surmounted  and 
-**•    »  he  was  actually  in  Carolina  again, 

Roger  had  time  to  reflect  a  little  upon  what 
he  had  done.  He  had  quitted  the  Univer 
sity  and  come  home  without  obtaining  his 
father's  consent  or  even  asking  for  it,  and 
in  those  stately  old  days  young  men  were  ex 
pected  to  show  the  profoundest  deference  to 
their  fathers.  It  is  true  that  Roger  was  now 
a  man  of  full  age,  legally  free  to  do  as  he 
pleased,  but  it  was  certainly  not  his  pleas 
ure  or  purpose  to  offend  his  father  and  least  of 
all  to  wound  him,  by  any  seeming  of  disrespect. 
Now  that  he  thought  the  matter  over  calmly 
he  felt  a  deal  of  doubt  as  to  how  his  father 
would  receive  the  news  of  what  he  might  easily 
regard  as  unwarranted  disobedience. 

Roger  held  his  father  in  exceedingly  tender 
affection,  and  the  thought  of  wounding  him 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

was  very  distressing  to  the  young  man.  It 
was  all  the  more  to  Roger's  credit  that  he  felt 
thus  so  keenly,  inasmuch  as  he  was  in  no  ma 
terial  way  dependent  upon  his  father.  He  had 
inherited  from  an  uncle  a  comfortable  fortune 
of  his  own,  and  during  his  seven  years'  ab 
sence  from  home  his  property  had  grown  great 
ly  in  value  under  the  energetic  and  judicious 
management  of  his  sister  Jacqueline.  For  not 
even  Mrs.  Pinckney,  who  introduced  indigo 
culture  into  Carolina,  and  who,  as  Eliza  Lucas 
at  the  age  of  sixteen,  managed  three  planta 
tions  with  conspicuous  success — was  a  better 
woman  of  business  than  Roger  Alton's  twin 
sister  Jacqueline.  But  the  young  man  would 
far  rather  have  sacrificed  his  fortune  than 
suffer  the  least  estrangement  from  his  fa 
ther. 

It  was  with  anxious  care,  therefore,  that  he 
prepared  a  letter  to  be  sent  by  a  servant  to  Al 
ton  House  announcing  his  arrival  and  asking 
for  his  father's  commands.  The  missive  was 
couched  in  stately  phrases,  as  was  customary 
at  a  time  when  even  young  women  writing  to 
their  most  intimate  girl  friends,  subscribed  their 
missives :  "  Your  most  obedient,  humble 
servant "  and  signed  their  names  in  full. 
Roger's  letter  read: 

70 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"LONSDALE,  Feb.  3,  1779. 
"  HONORED  SIR  : 

"  I  have  the  duty  of  announcing  to  you  my  return  to 
America. 

"  I  gravely  fear  that  in  taking  the  course  I  have,  with 
out  first  securing  your  approval,  I  may  seem  to  you  to 
have  been  somewhat  wanting  in  that  respect  which  I 
have  ever  cherished  and  shall  cherish  till  my  dying  day 
for  a  father  who  has  so  greatly  honored  the  name  I  am 
proud  to  have  inherited.  Believe  me,  I  have  intended  no 
failure  in  affection  or  duty. 

"  When  I  came  of  full  age,  and  realized  the  dangers 
to  which  my  country  was  exposed ;  when  I  reflected 
upon  the  hardships  and  privations  which  thousands  of 
my  countrymen  were  willingly  enduring  in  assertion  of 
our  independence;  and  especially  when  I  remembered 
the  honorable  wounds  you  received  in  earlier  wars  for  the 
defence  of  Carolina,  wounds  that  still  pain  and  enfeeble 
you;  when  I  meditated  upon  all  these  things  the  convic 
tion  forced  itself  upon  me  that  the  time  had  come  for 
me  to  take  up  the  duty  of  representing  the  house  of 
Alton  and  preserving  the  Alton  name  in  that  honor 
which  your  courage  and  devotion  to  duty  had  won  for 
it.  I  could  not  rest  in  England — which  is  now  the  en 
emy's  country — while  a  foreign  foe  was  overrunning  my 
native  land  and  threatening  to  rob  all  of  us  of  our 
birthright  as  free  men.  In  brief,  my  father,  I  had  a 
duty  to  do  which  I  felt  that  I  could  neither  neglect  nor 
postpone  without  proving  myself  unworthy  of  the  herit 
age  of  honor  to  which,  thanks  to  you,  sir,  I  was  born. 

"  It  would  have  taken  months,  to  communicate  with 
you  and  receive  your  reply,  if  indeed  it  were  possible 
to  communicate  with  you  at  all  in  these  troubled  times. 
And  let  me  be  honest  enough  to  say  that  my  sense  of 
duty  would  have  impelled  me  to  return  and  bear  my 
share  in  my  country's  defence  even  had  you  forbidden 

71 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

me  to  do  so.  It  would  have  grieved  me  deeply  to  dis 
obey  you,  but  I  must  have  done  my  duty  even  at  such  a 
cost.  One's  manhood  is  the  one  thing  of  supreme  worth 
in  this  world. 

"  I  spare  you  the  details  of  my  journey  until  such 
time  as  I  shall  be  permitted  to  relate  them  in  person.  It 
is  sufficient  now  to  say  that  I  crossed  from  the  Bahamas 
in  an  open  boat,  and  although  the  eight  or  ten  days'  voy 
age  was  a  very  boisterous  one,  a  skillful  sailor  whom  I 
had  in  my  service,  managed  to  make  a  landing  on  the 
night  before  last,  on  the  lower  edge  of  Mrs.  Vargave's 
plantation  of  Lonsdale. 

"  Finding  that  no  active  operations  are  just  now  in 
progress,  and  that  the  enemy  has  not  yet  invaded  our 
state,  I  have  accepted  Mrs.  Vargave's  hospitable  invita 
tion  to  rest  here  from  the  fatigues  of  my  voyage  while 
awaiting  your  commands  in  reply  to  this  letter,  which 
will  leave  here  to-morrow  by  the  hands  of  a  servant 
and  should  reach  you  within  three  or  four  days'  time. 

"  Pray  oblige  me  by  presenting  my  messages  of  de 
voted  affection  to  Jacqueline,  and  believe  me,  honored 
sir, 

"  Your  most  obedient,  humble  servant  and  son, 

"  ROGER  ALTON. 
"  To  COL.  GEOFFREY  ALTON, 

"  Alton  House." 

This  duty  done,  Roger  had  nothing  to  do 
but  wait  for  the  answer  to  his  letter.  So  un 
certain  was  he  of  his  father's  probable  attitude 
that  the  waiting  would  have  been  a  very  anx 
ious  one  but  for  the  alleviating  circumstance 
that  it  was  endured  in  the  company  and  with 
the  sympathetic  assistance  of  Helen  Vargave. 

72 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

There  was  no  company  at  Lonsdale,  during 
Roger's  stay.  Mrs.  Vargave  rarely  went  be 
yond  the  veranda,  as  she  was  by  no  means 
robust,  while  to  those  two  healthy  young  peo 
ple — Helen  Vargave  and  Roger  Alton — the 
great  out  of  doors  seemed  the  only  possible 
place  in  which  to  breathe  with  any  comfort. 
This  was  rather  curious,  inasmuch  as  the  house 
was  provided  lavishly  with  large  windows  that 
were  always  wide  open  by  day,  and  the  veranda, 
twenty  feet  in  width,  always  had  a  breeze 
sweeping  through  some  one  or  more  of  its  four 
long  reaches.  Yet  as  I  have  said,  our  two  young 
people  found  existence  impossible  there,  by  day 
light  at  least,  and  so,  after  the  morning's  joint 
labors  in  cutting  flowers  in  the  garden,  these 
two  would  wander  away  on  foot  or  horseback, 
no  one  knew  whither,  returning  only  when  the 
sun  grew  fervent  toward  noonday.  When  it 
declined  in  the  afternoon  and  seemed  more  gen 
tly  disposed,  they  would  again  weary  of  the 
house  and  sally  forth  in  search  of  larger  sup 
plies  of  air. 

They  enjoyed  most  of  all  their  early  morn 
ing  rides  on  horseback.  After  the  excellent 
fashion  of  the  young  women  of  the  South, 
Helen  was  always  below  stairs  as  soon  as  the 
dawn  broadened  into  day.  Had  she  not  the 

73 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

maids  to  direct  in  their  work  ?  And  was  it  not 
necessary  for  her  to  "  give  out "  the  raw  ma 
terials  for  the  breakfast  she  had  planned  over 
night?  But  was  there  any  real  need  for  the 
services  of  Mr.  Roger  in  connection  with  these 
purely  feminine  occupations  ?  If  not,  why  was 
it  that  he,  too,  although  he  had  for  years  been 
accustomed  to  a  late  rising  hour,  found  it  im 
possible,  there  at  Lonsdale,  to  sleep  a  wink  after 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning?  Why  was  it 
that  about  that  hour  every  morning  he  descend 
ed  the  stairs,  fresh  from  his  invigorating  cold 
bath,  and  had  the  good  fortune  always  to  find 
Helen  in  the  great  hallway,  or  just  coming  into 
it  from  the  breakfast  parlor?  He  attributed 
his  new-born  love  of  early  rising  to  the  glorious 
climate  of  the  Carolina  coast  where  February 
fairly  puts  the  Northern  June  and  the  English 
May  to  shame.  Perhaps  that  was  it.  It 
would  not  be  becoming  in  me  to  question  the 
accuracy  of  any  statement  made  by  a  man  who 
was  accustomed  all  his  life  to  resent  imputations 
of  that  sort  in  ways  that  involved  bodily  peril 
to  the  offender. 

However  that  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  at 
Lonsdale  Roger  Alton  formed  that  habit  of 
very  early  rising  which  clung  to  him  always 
afterwards.  And  being  up,  and  knowing  that 

74 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

the  tradition  of  the  family,  sternly  supported 
by  the  unyielding  will  of  an  ultra-conservative 
negro  cook,  forbade  the  service  of  breakfast 
before  the  hour  of  nine,  what  was  more  natural 
than  that  these  two  energetic  young  people 
should  mount  their  horses  and  gallop  away  to 
see  how  the  fields  and  the  woodlands  looked 
after  their  night's  bath  of  dew,  and  to  watch 
the  white  mists  arise  from  the  marshes? 
Sometimes  they  galloped,  just  to  give  the  met 
tlesome  horses  a  share  in  their  enjoyment. 
Sometimes  they  curbed  their  steeds  down  to  a 
walk.  That  happened  when  the  conversation 
grew  earnest  for  awhile. 

How  good,  and  wholesome  it  was  and  how 
completely  in  accord  with  Mother  Nature's  in 
tent!  And  how  inevitable  was  the  outcome 
of  it  all,  especially  since  these  two  had  resumed 
their  childhood's  practice  of  being  just 
"  Roger  "  and  "  Helen  "  to  each  other! 

One  afternoon,  the  wind  being  fair,  Roger 
suggested  a  sail  out  into  the  sound  in  his  Baha 
ma  boat,  and  Helen  eagerly  assented.  Roger 
persuaded  himself  that  his  purpose  in  this  was 
simply  to  see  by  daylight  the  mouth  of  the 
creek  and  the  waters  beyond  through  which 
Humphreys  had  so  wonderfully  navigated  the 
boat  on  that  black  night  of  tempest.  Perhaps 

75 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

that  was  in  fact  his  moving  impulse,  but  this 
chronicler  of  the  young  man's  doings,  takes  the 
liberty  of  doubting  that  he  would  have  made 
the  little  excursion  if  he  had  been  quite  alone. 

After  passing  the  mouth  of  the  creek  Roger 
sailed  some  miles  seaward  before  turning  about. 
When  he  did  so  the  wind  had  fallen  to  a  mere 
breath,  barely  enough  to  give  the  boat  steerage 
way,  or  a  trifle  more,  of  speed.  Roger  thought 
she  would  trim  better  if  Helen  would  change 
her  place  to  one  near  the  stern  where  he  sat 
to  manage  the  helm  and  the  sheet.  "  Besides, 
the  sail  will  shield  you  from  the  sun  if  you  sit 
here,"  he  said,  and  Helen  was  quick  to  appre 
ciate  the  advantage  of  such  shelter.  All  this 
seems  a  bit  puzzling  and  inconsistent,  as  day 
after  day  at  this  hour  these  two  were  accus 
tomed  to  walk  or  ride  in  the  full  light  of  the  de 
clining  sun,  and  it  had  never  before  occurred 
to  either  of  them  that  Helen  had  need  of  pro 
tection  against  its  rays. 

As  they  sat  there,  the  boat  slowly  drifting 
shorewards,  there  was  nothing  for  either  to  do 
but  talk,  and  so  they  talked,  in  low  tones,  as  if 
out  of  respect  for  the  silence  of  the  tranquil  sea. 

"  I  want  to  tell  you,  Roger,  all  about  what 
has  happened  to  us  since  you  went  away,  so 
long  ago,"  said  the  gentle  girl  with  a  note  of 

76 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

sadness  in  her  voice.  "  It  hasn't  been  all  good 
by  any  means,  and  much  of  it  I  have  never 
quite  understood.  I  have  not  liked  to  question 
mamma  about  it.  She  seems  to  shrink  from 
the  subject  so  that  the  least  mention  of  it  dis 
tresses  her  dreadfully." 

"  Tell  me  all  that  you  know,"  said  Roger, 
tenderly.  "  I  shall  like  to  hear,  and  the  telling 
may  relieve  your  own  mind.  When  I  went 
away  you  were  living  on  the  Ashley  River 
above  Charles  Town.  I  remember  the  stately 
mansion,  and  the  splendid  avenues  of  trees — 
each  a  mile  long,  I  think — that  led  from  the 
river  on  one  side  and  the  highway  on  the  other, 
up  to  the  hospitable  house.  I  was  a  very  little 
boy  when  I  saw  the  place  for  the  only  time  in 
my  life,  but  the  impression  of  its  grandeur  has 
always  remained  in  my  mind.  I  think  I  never 
saw  a  more  attractive  country  seat,  even  in 
England." 

"  Yes,  I  know,"  said  the  girl,  with  a  mist  in 
her  eyes  as  she  recalled  the  old  home  with  all 
its  glories  exaggerated  in  her  mind,  as  things 
remembered  from  childhood  are  apt  to  be. 
Then  she  added: 

"  That's  all  gone  now.  A  year  or  two  after 
you  left  Carolina,  something  happened — I  don't 
know  what.  My  father  met  with  some  terrible 

77 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

misfortune,  I  think.  He  was  fearfully  excited. 
He  could  not  sleep  or  eat,  but  walked  the  piazza 
floor  all  day  and  far  into  the  night,  saying 
nothing  and  seeming  not  to  hear  when  anybody 
but  mamma  spoke  to  him.  When  that  occur 
red,  he  would  touch  her  head  caressingly  or 
perhaps  kiss  her  forehead.  I  have  seen  people 
kiss  their  dead  in  just  the  same  way.  One 
evening  when  Maum  Rachel  had  come  for 
me  to  go  to  bed,  my  father  took  me  up  in  his 
arms  and  hugged  me  close  and  kissed  me 
fervently.  He  uttered  no  word  except  'My 
little  Helen,'  but  I  remember  that  the  look  in 
his  eyes  frightened  me  so  that  I  dreamed  of  it 
all  night.  The  next  morning  he  was  gone  and 
a  little  later  came  news  that  he  had  been  swept, 
overboard  from  a  boat's  deck,  out  here  in  this 
sound.  His  body  was  never  recovered,  and 
my  mother's  grief  for  him  was  so  great  that 
from  that  time  to  this  nobody  has  ever  men 
tioned  his  name  in  her  presence  except  under 
some  pressing  necessity. 

"  Soon  after  his  death  we  left  the  old  house. 
I  have  since  learned  that  my  father  had  mort 
gaged  it  as  heavily  as  he  could  a  half  year  be 
fore,  to  raise  money  for  some  enterprise  which 
he  thought  would  make  him  very  rich,  but 
which  ended  in  disastrous  failure.  I  suppose 

78 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

that  when  financial  ruin  overtook  him,  he  decid 
ed  to  go  abroad  in  the  hope  of  retrieving  his 
fortune.  But  I  have  always  wondered,  if  that 
were  so,  why  he  did  not  take  ship  at  Charles 
Town,  instead  of  sailing  on  a  little  craft  from 
the  creek  down  here.  My  grandfather — 
mother's  father,  you  know — lived  here  then,  in 
the  house  we  now  have,  and  perhaps  my  father 
came  down  here  to  consult  with  him,  and  being 
here  took  the  only  ship  he  could  get.  Perhaps 
he  went  as  a  sailor,  for  he  had  been  much  at 
sea  and  at  one  time  was  part  owner  and  mas 
ter's  mate  of  a  ship.  All  that  is  conjecture  on 
my  part,  however. 

"  We  were  very  poor  for  a  time,  for  my 
grandfather  had  never  forgiven  my  mother's 
marriage,  and  at  first  he  would  do  nothing  for 
us,  except  furnish  a  very  little  money  on  which 
we  managed  somehow  to  live  in  a  little  house 
in  Charles  Town.  But  your  father,  Col.  Alton, 
interested  himself  in  our  behalf.  He  visited  my 
grandfather  and  it  is  said  they  had  a  great 
quarrel  about  us.  My  grandfather  had  a  ter 
rible  temper  you  know,  and  I  think  Col.  Alton 
was  the  only  man  in  Carolina  who  would  have 
dared,  even  as  his  oldest  and  dearest  friend, 
reprove  him  for  anything  he  might  do.  After 
that  my  grandfather  sent  for  us  and  we  came 

79 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

here  to  live  with  him.  I  think  the  sight  of  my 
mother's  grief  softened  him,  for  in  spite  of  his 
imperious  temper  he  was  a  man  of  tender  affec 
tion,  and  my  mother  was  his  only  child. 
Grandmamma  had  been  dead  for  years,  and 
when  we  came  down  here  mamma  seemed  to 
creep  back  into  her  old  place  in  his  heart.  A 
little  later  he  began  making  me  his  comrade 
and  confidante.  He  made  one  of  the  stable 
boys  dress  himself  in  skirts  and  ride  a  splendid 
young  sorrel  with  a  side  saddle,  until  the  ani 
mal  learned  to  tolerate  a  woman  rider.  Then 
*  he  gave  the  horse  to  me  and  every  morning 
when  he  set  out  to  ride  over  the  plantations  I 
had  to  ride  with  him.  I  must  have  been  a 
queer  figure,  perched  upon  the  back  of  a  great 
horse  nearly  seventeen  hands  high;  but 
grandpapa  would  not  ride  without  me,  even 
when  it  rained,  and  as  for  ponies  he  held  them 
in  contempt.  He  taught  me  to  ride  my  horse 
over  fences  and  ditches  and  logs  and  to  make 
the  powerful  creature  do  my  bidding. 

"  You  will  not  wonder  that  I  grew  to  love 
the  old  gentleman  with  all  possible  tenderness, 
while  he  seemed  more  and  more  to  delight  in 
me.  He  would  stand  me  up  by  the  wall  and 
measure  me  to  see  if  I  were  growing  satisfacto 
rily.  He  would  push  my  hair  back  from  my 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

forehead  and  study  my  features  intently  and 
with  manifest  pleasure.  In  a  thousand  ways 
he  petted  and  spoiled  me. 

"  One  day  my  grandfather  went  away  to 
Charles  Town,  and  was  gone  for  a  week.  He 
told  me  before  starting  that  he  had  to  go  on 
business;  and  bade  me  go  each  morning  to  the 
stables  and  see  to  it  that  the  horses  were  prop 
erly  groomed.  '  You're  fourteen  years  old 
now,  and  getting  to  be  a  tall  girl/  he  said. 
'  I'm  training  you  to  superintend  the  planta 
tions,  so  that  when  the  time  comes  for  me  to 
quit,  you'll  know  how  to  manage  the  estate 
for  yourself.' 

"  His  words  alarmed  me  for  the  moment, 
but  he  laughed  so  cheerily  that  I  took  his  talk 
for  banter,  and  bade  him  good-by  with  only  a 
tear  or  two.  Yet  after  he  had  gone,  I  remem 
bered  how  carefully  he  had  been  explaining 
the  plantation  work  to  me  for  a  year  or  more 
past,  and  how  he  had  been  at  pains  to  tell  me 
the  reason  for  everything  he  had  ordered  done, 
a  thing  that  he  never  did  with  anybody  else. 
I  remembered  how  once  my  governess  had 
complained  of  grandpapa  for  taking  me  away 
from  my  books  for  so  'many  hours  every  day. 
'  I  protest/  she  said,  '  that  your  grandfather  is 
educating  you  for  an  overseer,  instead  of  let- 

81 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

ting  me  educate  you  for  your  proper  position 
as  one  of  the  fine  ladies  of  the  land.'  She 
said  this  with  a  tone  that  I  instantly  resented. 
I  flew  into  a  passion  and  told  her  I  would  do 
no  more  lessons  for  her,  as  she  didn't  know 
how  to  speak  to  me  of  my  grandfather,  and 
from  that  hour  I  held  to  my  resolution.  I 
have  never  had  a  lesson  since.  I  did  not  tell 
grandpapa  why  I  refused  to  be  further  in 
structed  by  my  governess,  but  the  manifest  in 
tensity  of  my  displeasure  with  her  seemed  to 
delight  him.  Perhaps  he  saw  something  of 
himself  in  my  temper.  At  any  rate  he  paid 
the  governess  a  year's  extra  salary  and  secured 
a  good  employment  for  her  with  some  friend  of 
his  in  the  up  country. 

"  When  grandpapa  returned  from  Charles 
Town  on  the  occasion  I  started  to  tell  you 
about,  he  seemed  worried  and  not  at  all  well. 
I  knew  then  that  his  business  in  Charles  Town 
had  been  to  consult  the  doctors.  He  sent  for 
his  lawyer  and  for  two  days  was  engaged  with 
him  in  the  library.  Then  he  resumed  his  old 
ways,  as  if  he  had  thrown  a  load  off  his  mind. 
We  attended  the  stables  together  and  rode  to 
gether  as  usual,  and  often  he  would  ask  my  ad 
vice  quite  seriously  as  to  plantation  affairs. 
One  day  after  we  had  ridden  to  the  remotest 

82 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

part  of  the  estate  to  direct  the  work  of  open 
ing  a  new  plantation  there  and  laying  out 
some  drainage  ditches,  we  rode  slowly  home 
ward,  like  the  two  very  tired  people  that  we 
were.  Presently  grandpapa  said : 

"  '  Little  girl ' — he  always  addressed  me  so, 
4  little  girl,  you'll  do  famously.  You've 
learned  very  rapidly,  you  decide  quickly  and 
with  judgment,  and  you  know  how  to  get 
your  orders  obeyed.  It  is  very  well.  You 
know,  little  girl,  that  some  day  when  I  die  all 
this  estate  will  be  your  very  own.' 

"  Then  in  answer  to  my  astonished  ques 
tioning  he  said: 

"  '  Listen  to  me,  child.  Once  when  I  was 
insanely  angry,  I  swore  a  great  oath  that  your 
mother  should  never  inherit  a  shilling  or  a 
shilling's  worth  from  me.  Yes,  I  know  it  was 
shockingly  wicked/  he  continued,  as  if  in  an 
swer  to  something  he  read  in  my  face,  '  and 
I  have  long  been  sorry  for  it.  But  I  must  keep 
my  oath  and  fortunately  I  can  do  so  without 
harming  your  mother.  I  have  made  my  will 
giving  you  everything  I  have  in  the  world.. 
I'm  not  afraid  that  you  will  ever  forget  to  take 
the  tenderest  care  of  your  mother.  So  far  as 
she  is  concerned,  it  will  be  the  same  as  if  I  had 
left  the  estate  to  her.' 

83 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  By  this  time  I  was  crying  silently.  Final 
ly  I  blurted  out  the  thought  that  was  in  me : 

"  '  But  why  did  you  make  a  will,  Grandpa 
pa  ?  You  are  not  going  to  die,  are  you  ?  ' 

"  '  Not  if  the  doctors  can  prevent  it,  little 
girl.  They  would  miss  their  fees  if  I  got  rid 
of  my  gout  by  dying.' 

"  His  manner,  more  even  than  his  words,  re 
assured  me;,  and  as  he  turned  the  conversation 
to  lighter  themes  we  were  soon  chatting  as 
merrily  as  ever." 

Helen  paused  at  this  point  in  her  story,  and 
as  Roger  looked  at  her,  he  saw  the  struggle 
she  was  having  to  keep  back  her  tears,  as  she 
choked  out  the  words :  "  Grandpapa  died  alone 
in  his  sleep  that  night." 

The  crisis  of  Roger  Alton's  life  had  come. 
As  Helen  gave  way  to  her  emotion  and  burst 
into  a  torrent  of  tears  but  without  a  moan  or 
an  audible  sob,  he  made  the  great  discovery 
that  comes  to  every  true  man  as  a  surprise, 
however  clearly  others  may  have  foreseen  its 
coming. 

He  knew  that  he  loved  the  woman  by  his 
side,  and  that  it  was  his  to  comfort  her. 

He  passed  his  arm  gently  about  her,  drew 
her  to  him  with  his  strongman's  strength,  and 
kissed  her  reverently  but  fervently.  Just  then 

84 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

he  discovered  that  the  boat  was  disposed  to  run 
her  prow  into  the  mud,  for  she  was  in  the 
mouth  of  the  creek  now,  and  it  required  quick 
attention  on  his  part  to  bring  her  back  to  her 
course.  As  he  did  so,  Helen  looked  at  him, 
smiling  through  her  tears,  as  the  sun  breaks 
through  a  cloud  bank,  and  asked,  timidly : 

"  Why  did  you  do  that,  Roger  ?  Was  it 
right?" 

"  Yes  certainly.  7  did  it.  That  to  you 
means  that  it  was  right,  and  it  always  will 
mean  that  to  you  when  /  do  anything." 

"  But  why?     I  don't  understand." 

"  Yes  you  do.  It  was  right  for  me  to  do 
what  I  did  because  I  love  you,  and  you  love 
me." 

Then  he  passed  his  arm  around  her  again, 
and  again  kissed  her,  this  time  without  the 
diamond  setting  of  her  tears.  After  a  little 
she  asked  timidly, 

"  How  did  you  know  that?  " 

"  How  did  I  know  what?  " 

"  What  you  just  now  told  me?  " 

"What?     That  I  love  you?" 

"  No,  the  other." 

"  That  you  love  me?  " 

"  Yes,  how  did  you  know  that?  " 

"  How  do  I  know  when  the  wind  blows  or 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

the  sun  shines  ?  How  do  I  know — never  mind, 
I  know  it.  Besides  you  told  me." 

"  I  never  did,  sir !  "  she  answered  with  spirit. 

"  Yes  you  did.  You  didn't  mean  to  do  so, 
but  you  told  me,  just  the  same." 

"How?" 

"  You  let  me  comfort  you  with  manifesta 
tions  of  my  love.  You  would  never  have  per 
mitted  that  if  you  had  not  loved  me,  and  it 
wouldn't  have  comforted  you  in  that  case, 
either." 

"  Oh,  then  you  didn't  know  all  this  until — 
until — just  now  ?  " 

"  No.  You  never  gave  me  a  hint  of  it  until 
'  just  now.' ' 

"  I'm  glad  of  that.  It  comforts  me  and 
saves  my  pride.  I  thought  you  meant  that  you 
knew  it  before.  But  how  could  you?  I 
couldn't  have  told  you  before,  even  uncon 
sciously,  because  I  never  even  dreamed  of  it 
myself  until — just  now.  Indeed  I  don't  think 
I  did  love  you  until  you  just  took  it  for  grant 
ed.  Somehow  you  seemed  to  compel  me,  and 
I  like  that — in  you." 


86 


V 


IN  which  HELEN  tells  a  little  STORY 

ACCORDING  to  the  social  law  of  the 
/-i  time  and  country  it  was  Roger  Al- 
-^  -••  ton's  duty  to  seek  out  Mrs.  Vargave 
at  once  and  tell  her  what  had  happened — 
no,  not  just  that  perhaps,  but  he  was  under 
obligation  to  tell  her  that  he  had  made  suc 
cessful  love  to  her  daughter,  and  to  notify 
the  mother  that  at  an  early  day  he  would  ask 
his  father  to  call  upon  her  and  secure  her  per 
mission  for  him  to  propose  marriage. 

It  was  not  deemed  proper  in  those  days  in 
Carolina  for  a  young  man  to  propose  marriage 
in  any  definite  fashion  until  these  forms  were 
fulfilled.  In  many  cases,  indeed,  marriages 
were  arranged  by  the  parents  without  much 
consultation  of  the  young  people  concerned, 
and  without  any  love  making  at  all  except  such 
as  might,  perchance,  follow  betrothal.  That 
minutely  and  most  accurately  informed  student 
of  Carolinian  family  papers,  Mrs.  Harriot 
Horry  Ravenel,  in  her  fascinating  sketch  of 

87 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Eliza  Pinckney,  tell  us,  that  "  In  those 
days  marriage  generally  was  a  very  practical 
affair;  not  quite  so  bad  as  in  France;  but  still 
the  phrase  '  a  marriage  has  been  arranged ' 
meant  precisely  what  it  said." 

Yet  "  maidens  chose "  even  then,  as  we 
learn  from  this  same  Eliza's  letter  to  her 
father,  quoted  by  Mrs.  Ravenel,  in  reply  to 
his  proposal  of  two  eligible  gentlemen,  one  or 
the  other  of  whom  he  wished  her  to  accept  as 
her  husband.  She  rejected  both,  apparently 
because  she  was  already,  though  unconscious 
ly,  in  love  with  Charles  Pinckney,  a  mar 
ried  man,  whose  wife  was  so  greatly  attached 
to  her  that  she  "  declared  her  willingness  to 
step  down  and  let  Eliza  Lucas  take  her  place." 

She  did  "  step  down "  presently,  into  her 
grave,  and  a  few  months  later,  Eliza  Lucas 
became  her  successor  as  the  wife  of  Charles 
Pinckney,  and  afterwards  the  mother  of  the 
two  revolutionary  heroes,  Thomas  and  Charles 
Cotesworth  Pinckney. 

All  this  happened  years  before  Roger  Al 
ton's  time.  It  is  cited  here  as  a  bit  of  history 
showing  that  maidens,  even  in  that  time,  were 
accustomed  sometimes  at  least,  to  insist  upon 
having  their  own  way  in  the  matter  of  mar 
riage,  and  that  the  observance  of  conventions 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

was  often  purely  formal.  Thus  Roger  had 
wooed  Helen  without  anybody's  permission, 
and  Helen,  as  her  own  mistress,  had  consented 
to  his  wooing.  But  until  the  forms  were  com 
plied  with  there  could  be  no  definite  engage 
ment  without  affront  to  their  parents  and  of 
fense  against  the  conventionalities  of  the  soci 
ety  in  which  they  lived. 

But  on  that  evening  Roger  had  no  opportu 
nity  to  discharge  this  duty.  When  the  young 
lovers  returned  from  their  little  but  eventful 
voyage,  an  east  wind  was  blowing,  with  every 
promise  of  a  cold,  gray  southern  rain.  Mrs. 
Vargave's  maid  reported  that  that  lady  had 
gone  to  bed  with  a  severe  headache  and  de 
sired  not  to  be  disturbed  on  any  account.  So 
our  two  young  people  were  left  to  pass  the 
evening  together  and  without  other  company. 
While  they  were  at  supper  the  rain  began  to 
pour  and  the  chill  came  which  always  comes 
in  that  climate  when  the  east  wind  brings  in  a 
rain  storm  from  the  sea.  The  piazza,  was  un 
inhabitable,  and  the  lovers  passed  from  the 
supper  room  to  the  parlor,  where  the  house 
servants,  trained  to  be  mindful  of  comfort,  had 
lighted  a  fire  of  "  fat "  pine  logs. 

There  Helen  told  Roger  the  rest  of  her  story. 

"I  forgot  the  principal  thing  I  set  out  to  tell 

89 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

you  to-day,"  she  said  soon  after  they  were 
seated.  '"  You  see  I  went  off  into  a  long  chap 
ter  of  reminiscences,  and  then — well  you  in 
terrupted  me,  you  know." 

"  Yes,  I  think  I  remember.     I—" 
"  Never  mind  about  that  now,"  she  quickly 
rejoined,  "  I  want  to  tell  you  what  I  forgot  to 
day.     It  concerns  you,  and  mind  you  are  not 
to  interrupt  again — till  I  finish." 
"  Very  well,  I'll  wait  that  long." 
"  You  know  I  didn't  mean  that — " 
"  Oh,  then  I'll  interrupt  before  you  begin." 
And  he  did.     Yet  after  awhile  she  told  her 
story. 

"  Soon  after  my  father  went  away  in  trouble 
and  was  drowned  as  I  told  you,  your  father 
was  summoned  to  serve  on  the  Grand  Jury. 
He  flatly  refused.  When  the  judge  told  him 
he  must  serve  he  said : 

"  'I  positively  cannot.  Every  grand  juror  is 
required  to  swear  that  he  will  reveal  any  evi 
dence  he  may  have  of  any  offence  against  the 
law  committed  within  the  last  six  months.  It 
happens  that  I  know  of  a  crime  committed 
within  that  time,  a  crime  of  which  I  alone  am 
the  victim.  For  the  protection  of  the  inno 
cent,  and  to  save  a  name  long  honored  in  Car 
olina  from  disgrace,  I  have  decided  never  to 

90 


Helen  Vargave. 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

tell  of  it.  I  deem  silence  an  obligation  of  hon 
or  under  the  circumstances.  I  must  therefore 
decline  to  take  the  oath  of  a  Grand  Juror.' 

'  The  judge  told  him  that  what  he  had  said, 
made  it  more  imperative  than  ever  that  he 
should  be  compelled  to  serve.  But  Col.  Al 
ton  still  refused.  The  judge  then  said  that  it 
was  his  duty  to  fine  your  father  to  the  utmost 
extent  of  his  property,  and  to  imprison  him  till 
he  should  yield.  Col.  Alton  calmly  replied: 

'  You,  your  honor,  know  best  what  your 
duty  is.  But  I  must  be  sole  judge  of  my  own. 
I  cannot  serve.' 

'  But  the  mandate  of  the  court  absolves 
you  from  your  honorable  obligation  of  silence/ 
said  the  judge. 

'  I  cannot  so  regard  the  matter,'  answered 
Col.  Alton,  '  and  with  the  profoundest  respect 
for  the  dignity  of  this  court  and  for  your  hon 
or  personally,  I  must  positively  refuse  to  obey 
the  court's  mandate  in  this  case.  My  resolu 
tion  is  irrevocable,  because  my  honor  compels 
me  to  it.' 

'  The  judge  was  sorely  troubled  and  after 
awhile  he  ordered  your  father  to  be  fined  four 
shillings,  and  imprisoned  for  one  minute  in 
the  county  jail.  But  when  the  sheriff  tried  to 
carry  out  the  second  part  of  the  sentence,  the 

91 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

people,  with  my  grandfather  for  their  leader, 
surrounded  the  jail  with  guns,  axes  and  what 
ever  other  weapons  they  could  find,  and  de 
clared  that  they  would  tear  down  the  jail  rath 
er  than  permit  your  father's  incarceration  in 
it  even  for  one  minute.  Your  father  mounted 
a  box  and  made  a  speech,  begging  the  people 
to  let  the  sheriff  execute  the  court's  order. 
He  explained  to  them  that  his  imprisonment  in 
such  a  cause  and  for  so  brief  a  time,  would 
carry  with  it  neither  disgrace  nor  discomfort 
to  himself,  while  it  would  satisfy  the  require 
ments  of  the  law.  But  the  people  would  not 
listen.  At  my  grandfather's  suggestion  they 
unanimously  passed  a  resolution  to  the  effect 
that  Geoffrey  Alton  should  never  be  imprison 
ed  in  any  jail  they  owned.  The  sheriff  report 
ed  to  the  judge  that  he  was  prevented  by  force 
from  putting  Col.  Alton  in  jail,  and  the  judge 
decided  that  his  detention  in  charge  of  the 
sheriff  amounted  to  imprisonment  and  satisfied 
the  law's  requirement.  So  he  discharged 
Col.  Alton  and  that  was  the  end  of  the  matter. 
My  grandfather  used  to  tell  me  the  story  over 
and  over  again  till  I  remember  almost  his  ex 
act  words.  He  seemed  to  want  the  facts  fixed 
in  my  mind.  Indeed  he  told  me  just  that  one 
day.  He  said : 

92 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  '  I  once  had  a  great  quarrel  with  Geoffrey 
Alton,  little  girl,  but  he  was  right  and  he  was 
brave  enough  to  tell  me  to  my  face  how  wrong 
I  was.  Then  this  affair  came  up,  and  he  show 
ed  himself  the  bravest,  noblest  man  in  the 
world.  I  keep  on  telling  you  the  story  of  his 
heroism  so  that  you  may  never  forget  any  de 
tail  of  it.' 

"  That  is  all,  Roger.  But  isn't  it  a  glorious 
story?  And  how  proud  you  must  be  that  you 
are  the  son  of  such  a  father !  " 

"  I  am  proud  of  it,"  he  replied,  "  and  you 
will  be  proud  with  me  in  a  little  while.  Thank 
you  for  telling  me." 


93 


VI 


-^,  SWEETHEART" 


ON  the  next  morning  the  negro  boy  who 
had   borne   Roger's   letter   to   Alton 
House  returned.  With  him  came  one 
of  the   Alton    House   serving-men   leading   a 
horse  of  superb  physical  form  and  dimensions, 
but  manifestly  of  exceedingly  irritable  and  en 
ergetic  temper. 

The  servant  bore  two  missives,  one  from 
Col.  Alton,  the  other  from  Jacqueline.  The 
father  wrote  after  the  formal  manner  of  the 

time: 

"  ALTON  HOUSE,  Feb.  14,  1779. 
"  MY  DEAR  SON  : 

"  I  have  detained  your  messenger  a  good  many  days 
before  sending  an  answer  to  your  letter.  I  am  getting 
to  be  an  old  man  and  sometimes  it  causes  me  pain  to 
write.  Please  make  my  apologies  to  Mrs.  Vargave  for 
having  made  her  servant  await  my  partial  recovery 
from  an  attack  of  gout. 

"Jacqueline  is  sending  you  a  horse  which  she  thinks 
you  will  like  to  ride.  When  you  find  yourself  quite  re 
covered  from  the  fatigues  of  your  voyage,  please  come 
to  Alton  House,  where  we  may  discuss  the  grave  matters 
that  present  themselves. 

94 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  Make  my  compliments,  if  you  please,  to  Mrs.  Var- 
gave  and  to  her  charming  daughter  Helen." 

That  was  all.  The  father  had  said  no  word 
to  indicate  his  attitude  toward  his  son's  dis 
obedience.  There  was  nothing  to  show  wheth 
er  he  felt  aggrieved  and  affronted  or  not, 
nothing  to  reassure  the  youth  who  had  been 
racked  with  anxiety  for  a  week  lest  his  father 
be  offended  with  him. 

Jacqueline  was  less  stately  and  formal.  She 
wrote : 

"  I  kiss  the  hand  of  my  brother  and  bid  him  welcome 
home !  I  am  sending  you  a  horse  which  I  have  bred  for 
you  on  your  own  plantation  against  your  return.  I  call  him 
'  Bullet,'  not  so  much  on  account  of  his  speed,  though 
that  is  great,  as  because  of  his  suddenness.  Look  out 
for  that  when  you  mount  him.  He  is  as  whimsical  as  a 
woman  but  if  you  are  anything  like  the  cavalier  you 
were  seven  years  ago  when  the  stablemen  used  to  nick 
name  you  '  the  little  horsefly,'  because  of  the  way  you 
stuck  to  your  horse,  you  will  enjoy  subduing  this  equine 
demon — for  he  is  quite  all  of  that.  I  have  ridden  him 
twice,  and  I  confess  he  put  all  my  horsewomanship  to 
the  proof. 

"  Come  to  Alton  House  as  soon  as  may  be,  my  brother. 
You  should  receive  this  letter  on  the  seventeenth  of  the 
month.  If  you  set  out  at  once  we  may  expect  you  about 
the  twentieth  or  twenty-first.  So  beginning  on  the  nine 
teenth  I'll  order  evening  and  morning  fires  lighted  in 
your  rooms  every  day,  and  even  warmer  than  that  of 
the  blazing  logs  will  be  your  welcome  from  your  loving 
sister — 

"JACK. 

95 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  P.  S.  I  suppose  it  is  dreadfully  vulgar  to  sign  my 
self  in  that  way,  and  my  governess  of  a  few  years  ago 
would  have  cut  off  my  supper  for  three  nights  in  suc 
cession  for  the  offence.  But  1  am  not  writing  under  that 
precise  lady's  supervision  now,  and  I  like  to  remember 
in  my  ears  how  cheery  it  used  to  sound  to  me  when  you 
called  me  '  Jack.'  I  shall  always  be  '  Jack '  to  you.  To 
everybody  else  I  am,  humbly  and  obediently, 

"  JACQUELINE  ALTON." 

As  I  transcribe  this  letter  from  its  original 
manuscript,  yellow  with  age,  frayed  at  the 
edges,  and  worn  nearly  through  at  the  folds,  I 
am  impressed  with  the  thought  that  the  young 
woman  who  wrote  it  was  not  properly  appre 
ciative  of  that  governess  of  whose  prim  preci 
sion  she  wrote  so  lightly.  For  the  letter  shows 
that  she  had  at  any  rate  taught  Jacqueline  Al 
ton  how  to  spell,  an  accomplishment  very  un 
usual  among  the  young  women  of  Carolina, 
in  the  eighteenth  century,  as  everyone  knows 
who  has  read,  as  I  have,  many  scores  of  their 
old  letters,  reverently  preserved  in  family  ar 
chives.  If  any  reader  feels  curiosity  to  sound 
all  the  possibilities  of  erratic  spelling  by  a 
young  woman  of  unusually  varied  and  thor 
ough  education  in  other  things  than  orthogra 
phy,  he  may  satisfy  himself  by  a  perusal  of  the 
charming  letters  of  Eliza  Lucas,  preserved  for 
us  by  Mrs.  Ravenel,  in  her  book  "  Eliza  Pinck- 
ney."  That  gifted  young  woman  was  as  ex- 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

pert  in  devising  novel  and  original  mis-spell 
ings,  as  she  was  in  conducting  the  affairs  of 
three  plantations,  managing  a  little  fleet  of 
sloops,  developing  the  culture  and  manufacture 
of  indigo,  making  herself  a  leader  in  the  best 
society  of  the  time,  and  discussing  grave  polit 
ical  questions  with  acute  intelligence.  She  so 
conducted  her  life  as  maiden,  wife  and  mother, 
that  a  century  and  more  after  her  death  she  is 
everywhere  held  in  honor  as  the  best  type  of 
the  colonial  dame,  and  a  conspicuous  example 
of  the  revolutionary  matron,  sending  her  gal 
lant  sons  forth  to  do  battle  for  their  country, 
with  a  fortitude  on  her  own  part,  even  greater 
than  their  manly  courage  could  match.  As  we 
read  her  letters,  in  which  "  hot  "  is  spelled  with 
two  "  t  "s,  "  suppose  "  is  usually  "  sopose," 
and  other  words  are  even  more  curiously 
twisted  out  of  their  customary  forms,  our  only 
regret  is  that  fire  destroyed  the  greater  part  of 
those  epistles  and  that  so  few  of  them  remain 
to  us. 

But  this  is  a  digression.  Roger  Alton  was 
now  under  his  father's  commands,  and  must 
proceed  at  once  to  Alton  House.  What  wel 
come  he  was  to  have  at  the  hands  of  his  father, 
he  could  not  even  conjecture.  But  in  any 
event  he  felt  that  he  had  done  only  his  duty  as 

97 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

a  man,  and  he  was  content  to  take  the  conse 
quences,  whatever  of  distress  they  might  in 
volve  for  himself.  In  this  attitude  of  mind  he 
found  himself  greatly  strengthened  by  the  sto 
ry  that  Helen  had  told  him  of  his  father's  res 
olute  disregard  of  personal  consequences  when 
impelled  by  his  convictions  of  honor  to  diso 
bey  the  mandate  of  a  court  that  had  power  to 
punish. 

"  Surely,"  the  young  man  said  to  himself, 
"  my  father  would  not  exact  of  me  a  disregard 
of  honorable  obligation  to  which  no  power  on 
earth  could  compel  him  upon  like  occasion. 
Obedience  is  not  the  highest  of  virtues;  though 
our  religion  is  founded  upon  a  theology  which 
holds  disobedience  to  have  been  the  supreme, 
primal  sin.  Be  it  as  it  may,  I  have  done  only 
what  my  manhood  required  at  the  hands  of  one 
born  to  an  honorable  name  such  as  I  bear.  I 
will  hold  my  head  erect  as  an  Alton  should  and 
ask  no  man's  pardon — not  even  my  father's — 
for  doing  right." 

With  that  resolution  he  prepared  for  his 
journey,  which  he  decided  to  begin  immediate 
ly  after  luncheon,  In  the  meantime  he  had 
duly  notified  Mrs.  Vargave  of  his  love  mak 
ing  to  Helen  and  of  that  maiden's  acquiescence. 
Mrs.  Vargave  received  the  tidings  with  evi- 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

dent  apprehension  upon  some  account  which 
the  young  man  could  not  even  guess  at. 

"  When  your  father  asks  Helen's  hand  for 
you,"  she  said,  "  she  shall  be  yours  with  all 
the  blessings  that  a  mother's  love  can  bestow. 
But  he  may  see  fit  not  to  ask  that,  and  I  beg  of 
you,  Roger,  and  shall  beg  of  Helen,  to  be  pre 
pared  for  that  contingency." 

"  But  why  do  you  anticipate  such  an 
event?"  asked  the  young  man  in  displeasure. 
"  Surely  there  is  no  spinster  in  America  better 
fit  than  is  your  daughter  to  mate  with  the 
best  in  all  the  land.  No  woman  is  fitter  than 
she  to  preserve  in  honor  the  traditions  of  Al 
ton  House.  My  father  will  be  proud  of  his 
mission  when  he  comes  to  you  to  ask  her  hand 
in  marriage  for  his  only  son." 

"  Perhaps,"  said  the  lady,  doubtingly,  "  I 
earnestly  hope  so.  At  any  rate,  if  he  asks  me, 
I  shall  surrender  my  child  to  your  keeping, 
Roger,  with  the  sure  conviction  that  Provi 
dence  or  Fate  has  come  to  her,  bearing  its  best 
gifts.  But  wait.  Wait  till  you  know  what 
your  father's  view  of  the  matter  is." 

"  He  can  have  but  one  view — the  one  I  have 
suggested.  If  by  any  possibility — a  thing  ut 
terly  inconceivable  to  me — he  should  enter 
tain  a  different  one,  why,  I  am  a  man,  full- 

99 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

grown  and  able  to  order  my  own  life.  In  such 
a  case  I  should  marry  Helen  in  face  of  all  ob 
jections.  I  am  next  in  succession  as  the  head 
of  the  family,  and  I  declare  on  my  honor  that  I 
will  make  Helen  Vargave  my  wife  and  the 
mother  of  all  the  Altons  that  are  to  come  af 
ter  me,  or,  failing  that  for  any  reason,  the  Al 
ton  name  shall  cease  to  be,  when  I  pass  from 
the  stage." 

There  was  nothing  for  the  gentle  lady  to  say 
except — "  Thank  you,  Roger,  and  God  pros 
per  your  purpose." 

With  that  delicate  consideration  which  is  the 
dominant  characteristic  of  all  high-bred  wo 
men,  Mrs.  Vargave  remembered  her  head 
ache  and  went  to  her  room,  leaving  the  young 
people  to  take  their  luncheon  together  without 
other  company  and  to  take  leave  of  each  other 
without  matronly  supervision. 

Nevertheless  it  was  with  a  sore  spot  in  his 
heart  that  Roger  vaulted  into  his  saddle — for 
the  demoniacal  animal  at  that  moment  decided 
not  to  permit  his  master  to  mount  him  in  any 
orderly  fashion — and  waved  his  last  "  good-by, 
sweetheart "  to  the  girl  on  the  veranda.  Mrs. 
Vargave's  manner  more  than  her  words,  had 
awakened  in  his  mind  an  apprehension  so 
vague  and  intangible  that  he  could  no  more 

IOO 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

reason  with  it  than  he  could  dismiss  it  as  a 
foolish  fear.  He  told  himself,  over  and  over 
again,  that  there  could  be  no  possibility  of  his 
father  objecting  to  his  marriage  with  Helen. 
Her  family,  on  both  sides  was  as  good  even  as 
his  own,  and  he  knew  that  his  father  had  al 
ways  cherished  them  in  closest  affection.  Yet 
Mrs.  Vargave  had  seemed  gravely  to  doubt 
that  Col.  Alton  would  welcome  an  alliance  with 
them.  What  could  it  all  mean  ?  Merely  a  sen 
sitive  gentlewoman's  reserve  in  a  matter  so 
closely  concerning  her  daughter,  he  tried  to  ar 
gue  with  himself.  But  the  argument  would 
not  fit  itself  to  the  circumstances.  Why 
should  not  Mrs.  Vargave,  if  she  knew  no  rea 
son  to  anticipate  his  father's  objection,  have 
said  to  him,  as  gentlewomen  usually  did  to 
suitors  for  their  daughters'  hands,  "  My  an 
swer  will  be  ready  when  your  father  calls  to 
ask  for  it  ?  "  That  formula  had  from  time  im 
memorial  satisfied  the  pride  of  the  stateliest 
dames  of  the  Carolinas.  Why  had  Mrs.  Var 
gave  sought  out  another? 

Just  as  our  young  man  had  reached  this 
point  in  his  perplexity,  his  horse,  Bullet,  de 
cided  that  the  light  gallop  at  which  they  were 
going  was  unworthy  of  his  mettle  and  his  ex 
alted  lineage — for  Bullet  came  from  an  equine 

101 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

family  as  aristocratic  in  its  way  as  Roger's 
own.  Were  there  not  cups  and  trophies  hung 
upon  the  walls  of  Alton  House,  which  had  been 
won  by  Bullet's  parents  and  grandparents  in 
strenuous  speed  competitions  with  the  bluest 
blooded  horses  on  the  American  continent? 

So  Bullet  suddenly  broke  into  a  run  as  if  for 
stakes.  His  master  enjoyed  the  exercise,  and 
when,  at  the  end  of  a  mile,  Bullet  decided  to 
dispense  with  a  rider,  and  to  that  end  began  a 
struggle  to  dislodge  the  man  in  the  saddle, 
Roger  enjoyed  that  controversy  also,  the  more 
because  he  was  confident  of  victory  in  it.  His 
saddle  girth  gave  way, but  he  met  that  difficulty 
by  placing  his  bridle-hand  upon  the  horse's 
withers,  raising  himself  by  sheer  strength, 
slipping  the  saddle  from  under  him,  and  set 
tling  himself  in  the  bareback  seat  of  his  boy 
hood. 

Having  accomplished  this  the  young  man 
felt  better  in  his  mind,,  and  when  at  last  Bul 
let  acknowledged  him  as  master,  the  doubts 
that  had  so  vexed  his  soul  were  dissipated  and 
he  was  again  in  that  optimistic  mood  which 
most  becomes  healthful  youth.  His  saddle 
was  in  the  ditch  a  quarter  or  half  mile  in  rear, 
but  his  servant  would  pick  that  up  when  he 
came  to  it,  and  as  for  the  rest  he  no  longer  felt 

102 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

any  serious  forebodings  concerning  his  father's 
attitude  and  action.  There  is  nothing  in  the 
world  like  a  victorious  struggle  with  an  ill-dis 
posed  horse,,  to  give  a  strong  man  faith  in  him 
self  and  in  the  future. 

It  was  with  unperturbed  spirits  therefore 
that  the  young  man,  about  nightfall,  rode  up  to 
a  little  country  inn,  with  a  pendulous  sign  that 
offered  "  Entertainment  for  man  and  Beast." 
When  his  servant  came  up  Roger  went  himself 
to  the  stables  to  see  to  the  bedding,  feeding  and 
rubbing  down  of  the  horses,  and  not  until  their 
coats  were  as  sleek  as  satin  did  he  consent  to 
have  his  own  freed  from  the  stains  of  travel. 


103 


VII 

IN  which   ROGER   ALTON   ENCOUNTERS   thi 
ENEMY 

/j  FTER  a  supper  specially  prepared  for 
/-i  him — for  the  meal  hour  was  long 
-^  -*•  past — Roger  sat  in  the  room  as 
signed  to  him,  with  candles  unlighted,  but  with 
a  blaze  of  "  lightwood,"  as  the  fat,  resin 
ous  pine  of  the  South  is  called,  to  stimulate 
his  imagination.  Now  that  he  had  resumed 
his  homeward  journey  in  blank  uncertainty 
as  to  the  reception  that  awaited  him  at 
Alton  House,  and  with  the  still  more  anxious 
apprehension  as  to  the  outcome  of  his  love 
making  with  which  Mrs.  Vargave's  words 
had  filled  his  mind,  he  was  overtaken  by  a  great 
wave  of  anxiety  to  shorten  the  time  of  suspense 
to  the  utmost. 

"  How  far  is  it  to  Alton  House  ?  "  he  asked 
when  his  servant  came  in  to  take  his  final  orders 
for  the  night. 

"  I'm  not  sure  that  I  rightly  know,  Mas' 
Roger,"  answered  the  ebony  hued  young  giant 

104 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

of  nineteen  or  about  that  age,  "  but  I  judge  it 
to  be  about  fifty  miles." 

"  Where  did  you  learn  to  talk  in  that  way?  " 
asked  the  master,  in  surprise  at  the  partial  ab 
sence  of  rude  dialect  forms  from  the  serving 
man's  speech. 

"  Well,  you  see,  sir,  Mis'  Jacqueline  makes 
all  the  black  boys  and  girls  go  to  school  to  her, 
so's  to  learn  to  read  and  write,  and  when  I  was 
learning  that  I  tried  to  learn  to  talk  like  white 
people." 

"  Your  Mis'  Jacqueline  certainly  had  an  apt 
pupil  in  you." 

"  Well  you  see,  Mas'  Roger,  she  was  mighty 
good  to  me,  and  when  she  saw  me  trying  to 
learn  and  not  just  shirking  like  the  rest,  she 
sort  o'  laid  herself  out  to  teach  me.  I  don't 
talk  right  yet,  but  anyway  I  aint  like  the  no- 
account  rest  of  'em.  Mis'  Jacqueline  said  she 
wanted  me  to  learn  so's  to  surprise  you  when 
you  got  home  again." 

"  Oh,  then  I  knew  you  as  a  chap  before  I 
went  away?  What's  your  name?" 

"  Marlborough,  sir.  Don't  you  remember 
you  named  me  out  of  a  history  book?  That 
was  when  I  was  ten  years  old.  Up  to  that 
time  my  name  was  Jake." 

Roger  remembered  perfectly,  and  his  greet- 

105 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

ing  of  the  plantation  playfellow  of  his  boyhood 
was  warm  enough  to  fill  young  Marlborough 
with  joyous  elation.  The  young  master  was 
surprised  at  the  progress  his  black  boy  had  made 
in  learning,  but  he  was  in  no  way  surprised  to 
learn  of  his  sister's  activity  in  teaching  the 
youthful  negroes  to  read.  That  was  the  gen 
eral  custom  of  young  mistresses  in  Carolina 
then.  The  laws  making  it  a  penal  offence  to 
teach  negroes  to  read  were  enforced  only  when 
the  abolition  of  slavery  became  a  subject  of 
political  agitation,  filling  the  people  of  the 
South  with  apprehension  of  negro  revolt  and 
the  massacre  of  their  families.  Those  laws 
were  regarded  solely  as  self-defensive  measures 
in  the  face  of  a  great  danger.  Until  that 
danger  was  threatened,  it  was  deemed  the  high 
duty  and  privilege  of  the  white  people  to  in 
struct  and  civilize  the  blacks,  many  of  whom, 
in  the  Carolinas,  were  native  African  savages, 
of  recent  importation. 

The  greeting  over,  Roger  returned  to  the 
matter  he  had  in  mind. 

"  We  must  do  the  whole  distance  to-morrow, 
Marlborough.  Have  the  horses  ready  at  seven 
o'clock.  Now  you'd  better  get  to  bed.  Have 
they  given  you  a  good  place  to  sleep  ?  " 

Marlborough  declared  himself  satisfied  with 

1 06 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

his  quarters,  and  bade  his  master  good  night. 
But  the  master  did  not  go  at  once  to  bed.  His 
mind  was  still  filled  with  visions  of  the  future, 
with  plans  and  purposes  and  a  thousand  ques 
tions,  when  the  low  talking  that  had  been  going 
on  for  some  time  in  the  next  room,,  began  to 
grow  excited,  so  that  the  young  man  could  not 
help  hearing  most  of  it  through  the  thin  board 
partition  and  the  loosely-fitting  door  that  sepa 
rated  the  two  apartments. 

The  men  in  the  other  room  were  playing  at 
cards.  Or  rather  they  had  been  playing,  but 
now  they  seemed  to  be  neglecting  their  game  in 
the  excitement  of  discussion.  One  of  them 
was  volubly  expounding  to  the  others  the  pros 
pects  of  a  speedy  British  conquest  of  Carolina. 

"  I  tell  you,"  he  said,  "  when  Gen.  Prevost 
gets  through  with  the  Georgia  rebels,  he'll 
quick  enough  cross  into  South  Carolina  and 
give  the  rebels  here  their  lesson.  He'll  take 
Charles  Town  first,  and  the  rest'll  be  easy. 
There's  nobody  to  stop  him  except  Lincoln  and 
he  can't  do  it  with  his  ragged  continentals  and 
Carolina  militia.  Just  wait  and  you'll  see 
merry  times  here.  We'll  all  get  our  chance — 
we  loyalists — and  you  take  my  advice  and  keep 
mum  till  the  redcoats  come.  Then  we'll  be 
masters  here." 

107 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

The  speaker  was  manifestly  in  his  cups,  and 
as  he  went  on  his  voice  rose  higher  and  higher. 
The  rest  were  less  drunk  or  more  discreet,  but 
Roger  easily  made  out  enough  of  their  con 
versation  to  understand  that  they  belonged  to 
that  despicable  class  that  had  been  mentioned 
by  Mrs.  Vargave — men  without  convictions, 
who  were  awaiting  the  turn  of  events  before 
committing  themselves  to  either  side  in  the  war. 
Prevost's  presence  at  Savannah,  his  activity 
and  success  in  the  work  of  overrunning  the  up 
per  Georgia  country,  and  the  manifest  weak 
ness  of  Lincoln's  opposing  force,  had  greatly 
encouraged  the  disposition  of  such  men  in 
South  Carolina  to  become  tories  as  soon  as  the 
invasion  of  that  state  by  the  British  should  be 
an  accomplished  fact,  and  in  the  meantime  to 
remain  as  completely  uncommitted  as  possible. 

"  What  will  happen  when  the  British  get 
control,  think  you  ?  "  asked  one  of  the  listeners. 

"  What  will  happen?  "  asked  the  pot  valiant 
one  in  reply.  "  Why  they'll  hang  the  worst  of 
the  rebels  and  confiscate  the  property  of  the 
rest.  Some  of  that  will  come  to  us  loyalists  as 
a  reward  for  our  faithfulness  to  the  cause  of 
our  king." 

"  You're  one  of  the  loyal  ones  I  suppose," 
interjected  another  of  the  group.  "  Well,  it 

108 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

seems  to  me  I  remember  that  you  served  in  the 
patriot  ranks  as  a  militiaman,  till  the  shooting 
began,  and  then  you  ran  away.  What  will  the 
British  say  to  that  ?  " 

"  I  couldn't  help  myself.    I  was  forced " 

"  Forced  to  run  away?  " 

".No.  I  was  forced  to  serve  in  the  militia, 
and  I  ran  only  because  I  was  too  loyal  to  stand 
against  the  king's  men." 

"  Stuff  and  nonsense !  "  contemptuously  re 
plied  the  other.  "  You  were  hot  for  serving. 
You  tried  to  get  me  to  serve.  You  even  told 
me  that  the  patriots  were  sure  of  independence, 
and  threatened  me  with  confiscation  if  I  re 
fused." 

Obviously  the  braggart  had  met  an  adversary 
with  whom  he  did  not  care  to  dispute  further. 
So  he  changed  the  course  of  the  conversa 
tion. 

"  There's  some  that  try  to  save  themselves 
by  playing  on  both  sides  of  the  game.  There's 
old  Geoffrey  Alton  for  one.  He  has  given  the 
governor  a  thousand  pounds  to  buy  ammuni 
tion  with,  but  he  is  keeping  his  only  son  in 
England  all  the  while.  If  the  rebels  win  he'll 
be  the  biggest  one  among  'em.  If  the  British 
conquer  the  colonies,  and  they  are  sure  to  do 
that,  he'll  set  his  young  son  up  as  an  English- 

109 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

man,  and  try  to  save  his  property  that  way. 
But— 

At  this  juncture  the  door  between  the  two 
rooms  was  kicked  off  its  hinges  and  a  stalwart 
young  man  without  any  coat  on,  stalked 
through  the  space  it  had  occupied.  After  one 
look  at  the  group  as  the  men  rose  from  their 
chairs,  he  said  in  a  voice  of  singular  blandness : 

"  May  I  ask  which  of  you  was  the  last  speak 
er  in  the  conversation  I  have  felt  myself  called 
upon  to  interrupt  ?  " 

"  It  is  none  of  your  business,"  answered 
one. 

"  Oh,  thank  you,"  said  the  youth.  "  I 
recognize  the  voice.  You  were  the  speaker 
then.  I  am  Roger  Alton,  Geoffrey  Alton's  son, 
and  I  have  intruded  here  for  the  purpose  of 
slapping  your  face  for  the  remarks  you  have 
been  pleased  to  make  about  my  father." 

The  words  were  not  out  of  his  mouth  when 
he  struck  his  antagonist  two  sharp  blows  with 
his  open  palm,  one  upon  either  side  of  his  head. 

Then  he  stepped  back,  saying: 

"  My  name,  as  I  have  already  told  you,  is 
Roger  Alton.  I  am  staying  in  this  tavern,  in 
the  room  adjoining  this  one.  If  anyone  here 
desires  to  call  my  conduct  in  question,  I  shall 
be  easily  found." 

no 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

With  that  he  returned  to  his  own  room  while 
the  men  whose  conversation  he  had  interrupted 
stood  for  a  moment  speechless  with  astonish 
ment.  Then  they  ran  to  the  hallway  and 
shouted  for  the  landlord,  while  Roger  was 
futilely  endeavoring  to  make  the  unhinged  door 
stand  upright  again. 

The  house  was  speedily  roused  and  the 
stables  also,  for  among  the  first  to  arrive  upon 
the  scene  was  Marlborough,  carefully  dressed 
in  his  close-fitting  groom's  costume.  Roger 
had  seated  himself  again  before  his  fire  when 
Marlborough  entered.  He  had  donned  his 
coat  and  sat  evidently  awaiting  results. 

"  Well,  Marlborough,  I  see  you  respond 
promptly  to  the  call  of  duty.  So  did  your 
namesake,  the  duke.  I  did  well  in  naming  you." 

Then,  after  a  pause — 

"  Do  you  know  what  gentlemen  have  planta 
tions  near  by  ?  " 

Marlborough  evidently  understood  the  situ 
ation,  for  he  answered: 

"  The  only  one  I  think  of  that  you'd  like  to 
have  with  you  in  a  business  like  this  is  Mas' 
Charles  Barnegal.  He  lives  about  seven 
miles  away,  sir." 

"  Charlie  Barnegal !  Of  course.  Just  the 
man.  Can  you  ride  Bullet  ?  " 

III 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  Surely,  Mas'  Roger.  You  taught  me  to 
ride," — as  if  that  settled  it. 

"  Yes,  I  remember.  I  told  you  you  must 
be  able  to  ride  anything  that  happened  to 
possess  a  back.  Very  well,  saddle  Bullet,  he's 
faster  than  the  horse  you're  riding,  and  give 
him  his  head.  I  want  you  to  take  a  note  to 
my  friend." 

As  Maryborough  disappeared  through  the 
door,  Roger  caught  sight  of  the  landlord, 
and  called  to  him  to  enter. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  have  damaged  your  door 
somewhat,"  he  said  in  a  placid  tone  of  voice. 
"  As  I  shall  be  leaving  here  in  the  morning, 
I  wish  you  would  examine  the  thing  and  esti 
mate  the  cost  of  repairs." 

The  landlord  looked  at  the  door  with  its 
broken  panels  and  wrenched-off  hinges,  and 
shook  his  head,  saying  "  I'm  afraid  a  new 
door  will  be  necessary.  It  will  cost  me  a 
matter  of  five  shillings  I  think." 

"  Is  that  all  ?  Here  take  a  guinea  and 
we'll  call  the  matter  settled.  I  have  a  note 
to  write." 

The  thrifty  Boniface  pocketed  the  gold 
with  a  chuckle,  muttering  to  himself — "It 
will  build  the  partition  wall  I've  always 
wanted  between  these  rooms." 

I  12 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Roger  called  to  him  as  he  descended  the 
stairs,  and  bade  him  send  a  dozen  extra 
candles,  and  bring  his  bill.  Then  the  young 
man  hastily  scribbled  the  note  that  Marlbor- 
ough  was  to  bear  to  his  old-time  boy  friend. 

"  MY  DEAR  CHARLIE/'  it  ran,  "  I  have  had 
to  slap  a  fellow's  ears  for  his  insolence  here, 
and  of  course  I  shall  hear  from  him  before 
morning.  If  you  have  anything  of  the  old 
spirit  of  our  boyhood  left  in  you,  after  all 
these  years,  you  will  be  glad  to  ride  over  and 
act  for  me.  I  haven't  seen  you  since  we  were 
fourteen  years  old  or  so,  but  you  know  the 
adage  about  the  twig  and  the  tree,  and  I 
remember  how  ready  you  used  to  be  for  any 
battle  in  any  good  cause. 

"  Ride  over  as  quickly  as  you  can,  and  for 
ever  oblige, 

"  Your  old  comrade, 

"  ROGER  ALTON. 

"  TORRANCE'S  TAVERN/' 

Soon  after  Marlborough  set  off  with  this 
missive,  promising  for  Bullet  and  himself  to 
reach  the  Barnegal  plantation  within  three 
quarters  of  an  hour,  the  landlord  knocked  at 
Roger's  door,  and  upon  entering  informed 
the  young  man  that  three  of  the  four  men  who 

"3 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

had  occupied  the  next  room — now  vacated — 
wished  to  speak  with  him  "  in  quite  a  friendly 
way." 

Roger  bade  the  landlord  usher  them  into  his 
presence,  and  arose  to  receive  them.  One  of 
them  announced  their  names,  and  said : 

"  Mr.  Alton,  we  have  come  to  make  our 
apologies  for  even  listening  to  the  words  that 
you  have  so  properly  resented.  I  beg  you  to 
believe  that  we  three  were  merely  listeners,  and 
perhaps  you  could  not  help  overhearing  enough 
of  what  was  said  to  discover  that  we  rather 
ridiculed  than  accepted  the  boastful  utterances 
of  our  companion.  At  any  rate  we  assure  you 
that  such  was  the  case — gentlemen  I  speak  for 
all  of  us,  do  I  not? — and  we  have  come,  as  1 
said  before  to  beg  your  pardon,  as  gentlemen 
should,  upon  such  an  occasion." 

Roger  paused  half  a  minute  before  reply 
ing.  From  the  first  he  had  been  resolute  to 
keep  his  tongue  in  leash  and  his  temper  under 
a  tight  rein,  so  that  no  indiscretion  might  mar 
his  conduct  of  the  quarrel.  After  the  pause  he 
said,  with  a  very  marked  calmness  of  manner, 

"  I  accept  your  apologies,  gentlemen.  I  have 
not  had  the  honor  of  meeting  any  of  you  be 
fore,  and  this  meeting  would  be  a  pleasure  to 
me,  except  for  my — well  let  me  say  my  regret 

114 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

for  the  company  you  have  been  keeping.  Let 
us  put  that  aside.  Your  apology — in  which  I 
understood  that  you  all  share?" — he  paused 
till  his  implied  question  was  answered  affirma 
tively  by  each — "  your  apology  leaves  no 
ground  of  offence  between  you  and  me." 

The  spokesman  thanked  him,  and  then 
added — 

"  The  other  man — the  one  whose  language 
you  so  justly  resented — " 

"  And  whose  ears  I  slapped,"  interjected 
Roger. 

"  Yes,  whose  ears  you  slapped,"  assented  the 
spokesman,  "  has  been  put  to  bed,  drunk.  Per 
haps  you  will  overlook  his  offence,  in  considera 
tion  of  his  intoxicated  condition." 

"  Oh,  as  to  that,"  said  Roger  still  speaking 
with  the  gentleness  of  a  professor  expounding 
a  principle  to  a  female  seminary  class,  "  as  to 
that  I  conceive  that  it  is  his  business  to  com 
municate  with  me  rather  than  mine  to  consider 
him.  I  have  slapped  his  jaws  before  witnesses, 
as  you  remember.  I  have  notified  him  of  my 
whereabouts  and  of  my  readiness  to  answer  for 
my  conduct.  Naturally  I  expect  him  to  call 
upon  me  to  justify  or  atone  for  my  acts.  To 
that  end  I  have  sent  my  servant  for  a  friend  to 
represent  me.  If  the  person  whose  jaws  I  have 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

slapped,  does  not  ask  for  reparation,  I  shall  of 
course  post  him  in  the  tavern  porch  as  a  liar  and 
a  coward,  and  proceed  upon  my  way  to  Alton 
House,  where  I  had  hoped  to  be  by  nightfall  of 
the  coming  day." 

"  But  the  man  is  hopelessly  drunk,"  broke  in 
one  of  the  others. 

"  That  entails  upon  me  the  disagreeable  ne 
cessity  of  waiting  here  till  he  becomes  sober 
again,"  answered  Roger.  "  I  could  not  think 
of  depriving  him  of  the  opportunity  of  meeting 
me." 

"  He  will  apologize  of  course,"  said  the  one 
who  had  acted  as  spokesman. 

"  He  can  make  no  apology  that  I  can  accept. 
He  has  insolently  traduced  my  father.  Even 
his  drunkenness  cannot  excuse  that.  I  have 
punished  him  by  putting  upon  him  in  the  pres 
ence  of  others  the  worst  affront  that  it  is  pos 
sible  for  one  man  to  put  upon  another.  I  have 
publicly  slapped  his  jaws.  I  now  decline,  very 
peremptorily  and  finally,  to  accept  any  apology 
at  his  hands.  You  tell  me  that  he  is  at  present 
drunk,  Very  well,  I  will  tarry  here,  as  I  said 
before,  till  he  gets  sober.  Gentlemen,  I  bid  you 
good  night." 

So  he  bowed  them  out. 

A  few  minutes  later  there  came  a  furious 

116 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

clatter  of  hoofs  in  the  road  below,  and  before 
Roger  thought  there  was  time  for  one  to  fling 
himself  from  his  horse,  Charles  Barnegal  came 
up  the  stairs  three  steps  at  a  time,  rushed  into 
the  room,  and  clasped  the  comrade  of  his  boy 
hood  in  his  stalwart  arms. 

"  Welcome  home,  old  fellow !  "  he  said.  "  So 
you're  at  it  already  ?  Fighting  the  enemy  ?  By 
the  way,  who  is  the  enemy  ?  " 

After  returning  the  greeting  Roger  said, — 

"  I  believe  the  man's  name  is  Gilfoyle,  or 
something  like  that." 

"  Gilfoyle — oh  yes,  I  know  him.  He's 
scarcely  a  gentleman.  If  he  forced  a  quarrel 
on  you  you  might  very  well  refuse  to  meet  him, 
as  a  man  not  in  our  class.  But — " 

"  But  in  this  case  I  desire  to  meet  him,"  said 
Roger.  "  One  doesn't  exact  that  a  cur  shall 
be  a  dog  of  gentlemanly  demeanor  before  kick 
ing  him  for  snarling." 

"  Oh  certainly  not,"  said  Barnegal.  "  I  was 
only  thinking  what  a  favor  you  will  confer 
upon  this  fellow  by  fighting  him.  You'll 
actually  set  him  up  in  the  community  by  recog 
nizing  him  as  a  man  entitled  to  be  confronted 
by  a  gentleman  at  ten  paces  from  a  pistol's 
mouth.  By  the  way,  where  are  your  pistols? 
I'll  look  them  over  while  you  stir  up  the  land- 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

lord  and  the  cook  and  order  some  breakfast. 
No  gentleman  should  fight  on  an  empty 
stomach.  It  unsteadies  his  nerves,  and  besides, 
if  he  should  happen  to  get  a  bullet  lodged  any 
where  in  his  anatomy,  the  doctors  wouldn't  let 
him  eat  anything  for  oh,  ever  so  long." 

"  You're  the  same  old  Charlie,  I  see,"  said 
Roger  grasping  his  hand.  "  You  make  a  jest 
of  everything.  But  as  I  am  distinctly  hungry, 
and  as  daylight  must  be  near,  I'll  order  break 
fast  at  once." 

He  left  the  room  for  that  purpose,  and  mean 
time  young  Barnegal  had  possessed  himself  of 
Roger's  pistols  and  had  set  to  work  to  put  them 
in  perfect  order,  with  newly  fringed  flints,  and 
barrels  "  as  clean  as  a  hound's  tooth  "  in  the 
bore,  as  he  said.* 

The  breakfast  was  ordered  through  Marl- 
borough,  and  that  ebony  aristocrat  not  only 
served  it,  but  superintended  its  preparation.  He 
apologized  for  the  coffee : — 

"  The  coffee  ain't  up  to  standard,  Mas' 
Roger,  but  that's  because  there  ain't  no — ain't 
any  good  coffee  in  the  house.  I  stopped  the 
cook  from  making  it  in  a  pot  full  of  old  grounds 


*  Gov.  Roosevelt  did  not  invent  that  simile.  I  found 
it  thirty  odd  years  ago  in  an  old  manuscript,  used  pre 
cisely  as  it  is  here.— Author. 

118 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

anyhow.  I'd  have  broken  her  neck  for  trying 
that  trick,  if  she'd  been  a  man.  As  it  was  I  only 
kicked  the  coffee  pot  into  kingdom  come,  so's 
she  had  to  make  your  coffee  in  a  kettle.  I  had 
to  throw  out  three  pans  of  poached  eggs  before 
I  got  one  that  wasn't  overdone.  No  gentleman 
can  pull  a  trigger  right  when  he  has  a  hard  egg 
in  his  stomach.  As  for  the  ham,  I  broiled  that 
myself  on  the  point  of  a  stick." 

"  The  breakfast  is  quite  satisfactory,  Marl- 
borough,"  said  the  master.  "  Indeed  I  count 
your  campaign  in  the  kitchen  as  one  of  the  best 
you  ever  fought.  By  the  way,  do  you  belong 
to  me,  or  to  my  father,  or  to  your  Mis'  Jac 
queline  ?  " 

"  I  am  proud  to  belong  to  you,  Mas'  Roger," 
answered  the  man.  "  My  mother  was  your 
Maumy,  you  know,  and  she  was  one  of  the  peo 
ple  from  your  place." 

"  Oh  yes  I  know.  I  remember  Maumy  and 
when  she  died  I  shed  the  bitterest  tears  of  my 
life — God  rest  her  dear  soul!  Never  mind 
that  now.  I  like  you, Maryborough,  and  if  you'll 
hand  me  that  pen,  ink  and  paper  over  there, 
I'll  set  you  free,  this  instant,  in  case  anything 
should  happen  to  me.  You  deserve  it.  You 
have  tried  to  make  a  man  of  yourself." 

The  negro  relapsed  instantly  into  the  dialect 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

of  his  race,  as  he  always  did  when  moved  to 
strong  emotion. 

"  For  Gawd's  sake  don't,  Mas'  Roger.  I'se 
Marlborough  Alton  now.  If  you  sets  me  free, 
I'll  be  jest  Marlborough  nothing — or  may  be 
jest  Jake.  For  the  Lawd's  sake,  my  mastah 
don't  set  me  free,  but  jes'  lem  me  be  your  own 
pussonal  servant  as  I  is  now.  Lem'  me  go  to 
de  wah  wid  you  an',  foh  de  Lawd,  Marlborough 
Alton  '11  never  disgrace  de  name  he  beahs !  " 

And  so  this  hereditary  bondman  remained,  of 
his  own  free  choice,  in  a  slavery  that  made  him 
a  member  of  a  distinguished  family  and  held 
him  in  close  bonds  of  affection  with  its  people. 

I  have  no  purpose,  in  recording  this  incident, 
which  is  only  one  among  thousands  of  like  kind, 
to  say  one  word  in  favor  of  the  institution  of 
slavery, — now  dead  and  done  for, — with  all  its 
possibilities  of  evil.  I  desire  only  as  a  faithful 
chronicler  to  show  how  the  more  strictly  do 
mestic  and  personally  serving  negroes  regarded 
the  institution,  how  closely  the  ties  of  affection 
were  knitted  between  them  and  their  kindly 
masters,  and  how  great  the  pride  of  servants 
was  in  their  dependence  upon  families  of  dis 
tinction.  Marlborough's  case  was  historic  in 
the  family  to  which  he  belonged,  and  I  have 
faithfully  transcribed  the  tradition.  I  have  in 

I  2O 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

my  own  person  known  many  others  like  it,  one 
of  which  at  least,  I  have  lovingly  recorded  in 
literature.* 

An  hour  passed,  daylight  came,  and  still  no 
word  had  been  received  from  Roger's  an 
tagonist.  Finally  that  young  man  lost  patience 
and  sent  Marlborough  to  summon  the  land 
lord.  When  he  entered,  Roger  asked  plac 
idly: 

"  Has  the  drunken  gentleman  got  sober  yet  ? 
Is  he  out  of  bed?" 

The  landlord  hesitated,  and  the  hesitation 
was  irritating. 

"  Why  don't  you  answer  ?  Or  must  I  ask 
my  friend  to  go  and  look  the  fellow  up  ?  " 

"  Well  sir,"  said  Boniface  at  last,  "  I  hope 
you  won't  blame  me.  You'll  remember  that  / 
didn't  tell  you  he  had  gone  to  bed.  It  was  the 
other  gentlemen  who  said  that." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Roger,  de 
livering  his  questions  like  pistol  shots.  "  Where 
is  the  fellow?  What  do  you  know?  Answer, 

man,  or  I'll pshaw!  I  didn't  mean  to  lose 

my  temper  with  a  tavern  keeper.  But  answer 
me." 


*  See   the    story   "My   Friend   Phil.,"   in    Southern 
Soldier    Stories." — Author. 

121 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

In  that  day,  and  for  nearly  a  century  after 
wards,  southern  hospitality  held  country  tavern 
keeping  in  something  like  contempt.  The  tavern 
keeper  was  a  man  who  charged  money  for  en 
tertaining  strangers,  and  no  southern  gentle 
man  would  do  that.  So  the  tavern  keeper  was 
held  to  be  an  inferior,  and  naturally  he  was  so, 
because  only  men  of  inferior  character  would 
subject  themselves  to  the  discredit  of  engaging 
in  an  occupation  that  was  held  in  marked  dis 
repute,  however  honorable  that  occupation 
might  be  in  itself. 

"  Well  you  see,  sir,  I  think  Mr.  Gilfoyle 
was  afraid  to  remain  till  morning.  He  said  he 
wasn't  afraid  of  you  sir — though  perhaps  that 
might  have  had  something  to  do  with  it — but 
he  has  been  talking  a  good  deal  in  this  part  of 
the  country,  and  if  anything — well  anything 
emphatic  happened  about  it,  he  might  get 
into  trouble.  So  he  went  away  about  mid 
night." 

"Where  did  he  go?" 

"  He  didn't  say,  sir.  But  he  took  the  main 
road  south,  and  I  reckon  he's  gone  to  Georgia 
for  safety,  sir." 

Roger  looked  at  Barnegal  in  bewilderment. 
Barnegal  tried  to  look  serious,  but  failed.  In 
stead  he  burst  out  laughing. 

122 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  Gone  to  Georgia  for  safety,  eh  ?  Well  he 
possesses  the  better  part  of  valor  anyhow. 
Roger  I'll  never  forgive  you  for  breaking  up 
my  night's  sleep  to  deal  with  a  fellow  like  that. 
Still,  before  I  completely  break  with  you,  and 
just  for  the  sake  of  hearing  about  your  return 
to  America  and  all  the  rest  of  it,  I'm  going  to 
ride  half  way  to  Alton  House  with  you  to-day. 
Perhaps  I  may  even  overlook  the  past  and  take 
you  into  my  favor  again,  if  you'll  promise  to 
select  the  right  kind  of  men  to  quarrel  with 
hereafter.  Call  out  an  overseer,  next  time,  or  a 
tavern  keeper,  or  a  sturdy  beggar,  but  no  more 
Gilfoyles  please." 

Roger  did  not  yet  quite  understand.  "  Why 
has  the  fellow  gone  to  Georgia?  "  he  asked. 

"  Why,  you  ridiculous  Englishman,  don't 
you  understand  that  he  is  an  emissary  caught 
in  the  act  of  stirring  up  sedition?  He's  an 
agent  of  the  British  and  he  has  fled  to  their 
protection,  to  save  his  neck  from  a  stretch- 
ing." 

"  Oh  well,  I'll  post  him  as  a  coward, 
and—" 

"  What  use  will  there  be  in  that?  He'll  never 
come  to  this  region  again  unless  it  is  behind  a 
British  regiment,  and  he  won't  mind  what  you 
or  any  body  else  says  or  thinks  about  him. 

123 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Save  your  paper  and  your  temper,  and  let  Marl- 
borough  bring  us  a  second  cup  of  coffee  to  ride 
on.  We'll  be  off  by  eight  o'clock." 

So  ended  Roger  Alton's  first  conflict  with  the 
enemy. 


124 


VIII 

ALTON  HOUSE 

/T  was  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  and 
quite  dark  when  Roger  and  his  serving 
man  turned  out  of  the  highway,  into 
the  mile  long  live-oak  avenue  that  led  up  to 
Alton  House.  The  great  gnarled  branches 
of  the  oaks  arched  completely  over  the  drive 
way  meeting  in  the  middle  and  forming  a 
canopy  through  which  scarcely  a  star  could 
send  a  beam  of  light.  The  long  gray  moss, 
hanging  almost  to  the  ground  on  the  sides  of 
the  road  and  festooned  in  the  middle  to  the 
level  of  a  horseman's  head,  rendered  the  dark 
ness  almost  tangible. 

"  There's  nothing  for  it,  Marlborough,  but 
to  give  the  horses  their  heads,"  said  Roger  after 
riding  twice  into  the  ditch,  "  and  let  them  find 
their  own  footing." 

Just  then  the  hoofbeats  of  horses  were  heard 
in  front,  a  thing  that  required  attention  in  a 
time  of  such  disturbance  and  in  a  place  so 

125 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

lonely.  For  Alton  House  stood  near  the  middle 
of  an  estate  of  thirty  thousand  acres,  nine-tenths 
of  which  was  a  primeval  woodland,  an4  there 
were  highwaymen  in  the  country  side  willing 
enough  to  take  advantage  of  the  loneliness. 
Roger  knew  that  his  coming  had  been  heralded 
from  the  tavern  where  his  altercation  with  Gil- 
foyle  had  occurred ;  he  was  known  to  carry  gold 
on  his  person,  the  sum  of  which  might  easily 
have  been  exaggerated  in  the  minds  of  lawless 
night-riders;  and  there  was  the  added  chance 
of  an  encounter  with  vengeful  tories,  set  on 
perhaps  by  his  skulking  antagonist  of  the  night 
before,  to  take  a  satisfaction  which  Gilfoyle 
had  not  dared  seek  in  the  open.  That  worthy 
had  taken  the  road  south,  or  at  least  the  land 
lord  had  so  reported.  But  the  landlord  might 
have  lied,  or  if  he  had  told  the  truth,  the  man 
might  easily  have  changed  his  route.  With  six 
or  eight  hours  the  start,  nothing  could  be 
easier  than  for  him  to  reach  the  Alton  House 
estate  in  advance  of  its  returning  heir.  And 
what  was  likelier  than  that  he,  with  a  compan 
ion  or  two,  should  select  the  darkness  of  the 
live-oak  avenue  as  a  cover  for  his  contemplated 
crime  ? 

These   thoughts   occurred   to   Marlborough 
as  well  as  to  his  master^  and  with  a  prudence 

126 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

that  suggested  the  strategist,  the  young  negro 
said  in  a  low  tone : 

"  We'd  better  stop  under  the  trees  at  the  side 
of  the  road,  Mas'  Roger,  an'  keep  still  till  it's 
time  to  shoot." 

But  Roger  was  quite  otherwise  minded. 

"  No,"  he  said,  almost  in  a  whisper.  "  This  is 
Alton  House  property,  and  I've  a  right  to  ride 
up  this  road  without  asking  anybody's  permis 
sion.  We'll  keep  right  on  in  the  open  and  if 
anybody  disputes  our  way  we'll  defend  our 
selves.  Have  your  pistols  ready,"  for  the 
trusted  servant  had  been  fully  armed  before 
being  sent  on  the  long  journey  to  Lonsdale  in 
charge  of  two  valuable  horses. 

Then  Roger  transferred  his  own  pistols  from 
his  belt  to  his  boot  tops,  for  greater  convenience 
in  use,  unslung  his  rifle  and  laid  that  weapon 
across  the  saddle  in  front  of  him. 

Meantime  the  hoofbeats  ahead,  drew  rapidly 
nearer,  and  though  they  were  muffled  by  the 
sand  of  the  road,  Marlborough's  practiced  ear 
was  able  to  make  out  from  their  sound  that  the 
approaching  cavalcade  numbered  but  two 
riders. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Roger  when  Marlborough 
informed  him  of  the  fact,  "  that's  just  one 
apiece  for  us." 

127 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Just  then  a  glint  of  white  appeared,  and  Marl- 
borough  recognized  it. 

''  Don't  shoot,  sir,"  he  eagerly  called  out, 
"  it's  Mis'  Jack  on  her  white  filly." 

A  moment  later  the  twin  brother  and  sister 
were  clasped  in  each  other's  arms,  though  still 
on  horseback.  Bullet  objected,  of  course.  Or 
perhaps  it  was  not  so  much  objection  on  his 
part  as  recognition  of  an  opportunity.  Here 
was  his  chance  to  unhorse  the  young  man  who 
had  so  gallantly  mastered  him  less  than  two 
days  before,  and  he  seized  it.  Roger  had  let  his 
bridle  fall  as  he  embraced  his  sister,  whose 
horse's  head  was  turned  in  a  direction  opposite 
Bullet's  own.  So  Bullet  broke  instantly  into  a 
run,  thinking,  doubtless,  to  throw  both  his 
enemies  to  the  ground.  And  but  for  Roger's 
superb  strength  and  quickness  it  would  have 
fared  ill  with  Jacqueline,  who  had  thrown  her 
foot  from  the  stirrup,  the  better  to  embrace 
her  brother.  Instantly  seeing  that  to  loose  his 
hold  would  be  to  let  his  sister  fall,  the  stal 
wart  young  athlete  lifted  the  girl  out  of  her 
saddle,  and  swung  her  to  a  seat  on  Bullet's 
withers  with  his  right  arm,  while  with  the 
other  he  regained  possession  of  his  bridle.  The 
beast, — which  ought  to  have  been  born  a  cen 
tury  later  as  a  locomotive — became  infuriated 

128 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

when  he  felt  the  unaccustomed  weight  on  his 
withers  and  on  his  neck.  He  ceased  to  run,  and 
began  instead  to  rear  and  plunge  in  a  way  that 
at  times  threatened  a  complete  backward  sum 
mersault,  and  Roger,  with  but  one  hand  free, 
had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  saving  his  sister, 
who  of  course  had  no  adequate  seat  forward 
of  the  saddle,  from  falling  under  the  maddened 
animal's  hoofs. 

Marlborough  and  the  groom  who  had  accom 
panied  Jacqueline  on  her  night  ride,  dismounted 
and  came  up  as  quickly  as  possible,  and  in  the 
darkness  tried  to  seize  Bullet's  bridle  by  the  bit. 
With  one  of  his  forehoofs  the  horse  knocked 
the  groom  down,  nearly  braining  him.  Marl- 
borough  had  better  fortune  or  a  superior  skill. 
He  caught  the  bridle  in  his  left  hand,  and  with  a 
dexterous  reach  seized  the  horse  by  the  nostrils, 
compressing  them  in  a  vise-like  grip  that  com 
pletely  stopped  the  animal's  breath,  for  a  horse 
breathes  only  through  the  nostrils.  Twice  the 
negro  was  lifted  into  the  air  and  violently 
dashed  to  earth  again,  but  with  truly  heroic  de 
termination,  he  held  on,  regardless  of  himself, 
until  the  beast  sank  to  his  knees,  exhausted  by 
his  inability  to  breathe.  Jacqueline  quickly 
slipped  off  and  stepped  well  out  of  the  way  of 
possible  hoofblows. 

129 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"Is  you  safe,  Mis'  Jack?"  asked  Marlbor- 
ough  whose  excitement  was  too  great  for  gram 
mar.  Upon  learning  that  she  was  quite  safe  the 
negro  released  his  hold,  and  after  two  or  three 
deep  inspirations,  Bullet  regained  strength 
enough  to  stagger  to  his  feet  again  with  his 
master  still  on  his  back,  for  Roger  Alton  was 
much  too  learned  in  horse-lore  not  to  know  that 
Bullet  would  interpret  dismounting  on  his  part 
as  surrender  and  take  heart  for  future  exploits 
of  demoniacal  revolt  against  the  mastery  of  man. 

A  few  hurried  inquiries  revealed  that  Jacque 
line  was  unhurt,  that  the  groom,  though 
severely  knocked  about,  was  not  dangerously 
injured,  and  that  Marlborough  had  come  out 
of  the  encounter  with  no  worse  results  than  a 
few  contusions  which  he  declared  did  not 
"  even  call  for  opodeldoc." 

When  Jacqueline  had  remounted  her  filly,  and 
Roger  had  recovered  his  rifle,  dropped  in  the 
course  of  the  struggle,  the  brother  and  sister  re 
sumed  the  journey  toward  home,  Bullet  still 
showing  physical  feebleness  from  the  suffoca 
tion  that  Marlborough  had  administered,  but 
still  manifesting  an  unbroken  spirit  by  violent 
snortings  and  head  shakings.  He  had  had  a 
second  lesson  in  subjection,  and  he  did  not 
like  it. 

130 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  Though  you  are  not  hurt,  dear/'  said 
Roger  as  the  servants  fell  to  the  rear,  "  your 
nerves  must  be  terribly  shaken." 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  answered  the  girl  with -a 
laugh.  "  My  nerves  are  thoroughly  well  be 
haved — much  more  tractable  indeed  than  their 
owner  is.  Nothing  ever  unsettles  them.  They 
are  true  Alton  nerves,  and  a  little  escapade  like 
that  rather  titilates  than  shocks  them.  Don't 
you  think  there  was  a  mistake  Roger? 
Oughtn't  I  to  have  been  your  brother,  instead 
of  your  sister  ?  " 

"  Then  I  should  have  been  the  girl,"  an 
swered- the  stalwart  youth  with  a  smile  in  his 
voice. 

"  Oh  no !  no !  you'd  be  a  monster  as  a  woman ! 
Think  of  a  girl  over  six  feet  high  and  weighing 
a  hundred  and  ever  so  many  pounds?  That 
would  be  dreadful!  But  if  I  had  been  a  boy 
too,  maybe  I'd  have  grown  up  a  bit  more. 
Think  of  it  Roger,  I'm  only  a  mite  of  a  girl, 
five  feet  high — when  I  stretch  a  little — and — 
don't  tell  anybody — but  I  can  run  and  jump 
as  high  as  that ! '  " 

"  How  do  you  know  that  ?  " 

"  Oh  I've  tried  it,  over  a  fence,  and  oh 
Roger,  cousin  Jane  caught  me  doing  it,  only 
yesterday,  and  was  terribly  shocked.  I'm  glad 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

there's  no  trouble  with  her  heart!  She'd  be 
dead  by  this  time,  if  there  were.  But  she's 
hard  at  work,  I  know,  on  a  lecture  to  be  de 
livered  for  my  sole  edification,  on  '  The  Duty 
of  a  Well  Bred  Young  Woman  to  Comport 
Herself  with  Dignity  and  Modesty.'  There's 
a  capital  letter  to  every  word  in  that  phrase,  and 
she'll  lay  stress  upon  every  single  one  of  them." 

"  So  you've  been  misbehaving,  have  you  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes,  I  always  do  that.  I'm  dreadful ! 
Cousin  Jane  will  tell  you  so.  You  see  I  can 
spell  English  correctly  and  I  can't  conjugate 
French  verbs  half  right.  Isn't  that  fearful. 
Now  get  a  good  rein  on  Bullet,  for  I'm  going 
to  kiss  you,  Roger !  " 

A  moment  later  she  resumed  her  rattling 
chatter. 

"  But  I  haven't  told  you  the  worst.  I  can 
swim  like  a  duck,  and  I  wear  heels  on  my  shoes ! 
Isn't  it  awful?  Cousin  Jane  says  it's  a  dis 
grace  to  the  family,  and  she  often  says  '  poor 
motherless  child,  what  will  become  of  her  ?  ' 
And  then  father  laughs,  and  then  cousin  Jane 
says,  '  why  Geoffrey,  she's  shamefully  healthy ! 
Shamefully,  I  tell  you ! '  Now  that  you're 
home  again,  Roger,  maybe  you'll  reform  me. 
You  see  I  can  ride  and  shoot,  and  swim  and 
walk,  and  jump — particularly  with  a  pole,  but 

132 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

please  don't  tell  cousin  Jane  about  that — and  I 
know  how  to  graft  trees  and  put  bandages  on 
when  anybody  gets  hurt;  but  Roger  dear,  I 
don't  know  a  note  of  my  music,  and  I  can't 
embroider  to  save  my  life,  and  I  have  to  get  my 
maid  to  do  even  my  plain  sewing,  and  worst 
of  all  I  forget  to  answer  my  letters !  I  tell  you 
I  ought  to  have  been  a  boy !  They  don't  expect 
anything  from  a  boy  except  to  be  healthy  and 
polite  to  women  and  tell  the  truth,  and  fight. 
I  could  do  all  that.  I've  got  my  pistols  in  my 
saddle  holsters  now,  for  that  matter,  and  even 
cousin  Jane  says  that  in  these  troubled  times, 
if  young  women  will  persist  in  riding  about 
without  an  escort,  they  ought  to  have,  weapons 
of  defence.  And  then  she  adds,  '  but  how  a 
well  bred  woman  could  ever  shoot  a  pistol, 
even  at  a  man  I  simply  cannot  imagine.' ' 

After  a  pause,  Jacqueline  resumed  in  a 
soberer  tone. 

"  I'm  going  to  cry  a  little  now  Roger,  just 
for  joy  at  your  home-coming.  I've  tried  to  talk 
it  off,  but  I  can't,"  and  with  that  she  opened 
the  flood  gates.  It  was  only  for  half  a  minute 
however.  Then  she  took  Roger's  hand  tenderly 
in  her  own  and  said : 

"  I've  ordered  your  supper  in  my  rooms, 
brother,  and  we'll  take  the  meal  together.  I 

J33 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

'  cut '  supper  to-night  just  so  that  we  might 
take  this  first  home  meal  with  each  other.  I 
knew  you'd  be  here  this  evening,  and  ever 
since  tea  time  I've  been  riding  back  and  forth 
here  in  the  avenue,  waiting  for  you.  I  was  de 
termined  that  nobody,  not  even  a  hostler  or  a 
stable  boy  should  be  before  me  in  greeting  you 
with  a  welcome." 

"  That  was  very  loving  and  sisterly  in  you, 
Jack,  dear,  and  my  home  coming  is  the  happier 
because  of  it.  But  how  is  our  father?  "  for  he 
would  not  ask  how  the  father  regarded  his  dis 
obedience. 

"  He's  better  now  than  for  a  month  past,"  re 
plied  the  girl  with  great  tenderness  in  her 
voice.  "  Poor  dear  father,  how  he  does  suffer 
sometimes!  And  how  bravely  and  cheerfully 
he  bears  it  all!  Roger,  do  you  know  I  think 
him  the  bravest,  noblest  man  in  all  the  world? 
Anybody  can  face  danger  with  a  calm  front  if 
he  makes  up  his  mind  to  do  it.  Pride  helps 
mightily  in  that.  But  only  the  very  greatest 
heroes  can  endure  agonizing  pain  as  father 
does,  without  ever  a  murmur.  Father  never 
utters  a  complaint.  Better  still,  he  never  pities 
himself,  and  I  read  in  a  wise  old  book  once, 
that  '  self  pity  is  the  worst  and  yet  the  most 
universal  of  human  weaknesses.'  Even  when 

134 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

father  is  suffering  so  terribly  that  I  know  it  is 
agony  for  him  merely  to  exist,  he  never  utters 
a  harsh  word  to  a  blundering  servant  whose 
awkwardness  gives  him  pain.  7  do  all  that 
for  him  afterwards,  when  he  isn't  by  to  hear, 
and  little  by  little  I've  so  arranged  it  that  none 
but  the  cleverest,  gentlest,  and  deftest  handed 
of  the  servants  ever  goes  into  his  presence." 

"  Good  girl !  good  girl !  "  responded  Roger. 
"  That's  better  than  music  or  French,  though 
I'm  going  to  teach  you  French — not  out  of  a 
book,  but  out  of  my  mouth  and  through  your 
ear — but  tell  me,  Jack,  will  not  my  father  be 
with  us  at  supper?  " 

"  No,  dear,  he  cannot'  He  is  entertaining 
some  gentlemen  to-night,  great  men,  some  of 
them  ever  so  great,  and  you  know  how  scrupu 
lous  he  is  in  matters  of  hospitality.  Of  course 
he  would  come  to  greet  you  on  your  arrival,  if 
he  were  informed  of  it,  but  I  have  charged  the 
servants  not  to  tell  him.  So  we'll  ride  up  to 
a  side  entrance,  you  will  go  to  your  rooms 
and  put  on  your  best — poor  boy,  you  can't  have 
much  in  your  valise  and  saddle  bags,  but  I've 
ordered  a  tailor  to  come  early  to-morrow — 
then  we'll  have  supper,  and  after  that  you  shall 
descend  to  the  parlor  and  meet  father  there,  sur 
rounded  as  he  should  be,  by  the  greatest  men  in 

'35 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

the  state,  all  of  whom  have  come  to  Alton 
House  to  ask  his  counsel." 

At  that  moment  Alton  House,  a  blaze  of 
light,  broke  into  view.  It  was  a  stately  man 
sion  built  in  the  best  architectural  manner  of  a 
century  before.  Standing  in  a  ten-acre  grove 
of  sky-scraping  forest  pines,  it  rose  only  to  the 
height  of  two  stories,  with  high  pitched  red 
tile  covered  roofs  giving  opportunity  for  spa 
cious  attics  above  the  sleeping  rooms.  It  was 
solidly  built  of  English  brick,  with  walls  more 
than  two  feet  in  thickness  to  the  eaves,  whence 
extended  a  broad,  almost  flat,  piazza,  roof  cover 
ing  at  once  the  balconies  of  the  second  floor  and 
the  piazza,  beneath,  full  thirty  feet  wide,  the 
whole  carrying  with  it  suggested  memories  of 
greetings  between  gallant  lovers  below  and 
maiden  mistresses  in  the  balconies  above.  It  is 
true,  as  Longfellow  has  written,  that  "  All 
houses  wherein  men  have  lived  and  died  are 
haunted  houses " — haunted  by  memories  of 
human  life,  of  human  joy  and  suffering, 
and,  better  than  all,  of  human  and  hu 
manizing  love.  Old  family  dwellings  are 
not  mere  piles  of  bricks  and  mortar  and 
beams  without,  and  exhibition  galleries  of  dec 
orative  art  within,  as  is  the  rich  speculator's 
new  palace;  they  are  human  homes  ivy-grown 

136 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

with  memories,  moss-covered  with  traditions. 
So  it  was  with  Alton  House.  Built  in  the  very 
earliest  days  of  Carolina  settlement,  it  had  been 
for  generations  not  only  the  home  of  a  dis 
tinguished  and  cultivated  family,  but  the  seat 
of  a  hospitality  princely  in  its  lavishness,  and 
very  loving  in  its  inspiration.  The  old  house 
had  been  the  scene  of  many  a  revel,  and  better 
still  of  many  a  gentle  love-making.  It  had  sent 
out  its  sons  to  war,  or  to  the  cares  of  state,  or  to 
other  strenuous  endeavor,  and  its  daughters  to 
become  the  honored  heads  of  other  stately 
homes,  the  wives  of  gallant  gentlemen,  the 
mothers  of  sons  deserving  of  all  the  honors  that 
life  could  bring  to  them.  So  large  had  been  the 
part  played  in  Carolina  by  the  men  and  women 
of  the  Alton  race,  and  so  mingled  had  their 
blood  become  with  that  of  other  Carolinian 
families  of  repute,  that  it  had  grown  into  a 
familiar  saying  that  "  It  is  only  going  home 
when  one  goes  to  Alton  House." 

It  was  a  mansion  of  generous  proportions. 
Its  great  rooms  were  oak  wainscotted  to  the 
ceiling,  and  wholly  unspotted  with  paint.  Its 
floors  of  long-leaf  yellow  pine  had  grown  glass- 
like  under  the  daily  polishing  of  generations. 
Its  heavy  mahogany  furniture  was  built  with  a 
solidity  in  keeping  with  the  sturdy  walls  that 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

enclosed  it,  and  it  had  grown  nearly  black  with 
age  and  jealous  waxing. 

The  glory  of  the  house  was  its  great  hallway, 
with  its  two  broad  fireplaces  and  the  noble  stair 
case  with  its  midway  landing  so  broad  that  min 
uets  had  been  danced  upon  it  as  a  pretty  spec 
tacle  for  those  below  to  contemplate.  In  the 
drawing  room  there  were  wax  candles  in  scon 
ces,  and  a  great  central  oil  lamp  of  many  branch 
ing  burners,  but  in  the  hall  as  in  the  dining- 
room  the  illumination  was  by  flaring,  fatwood 
torches,  held  in  place  by  great  wrought  iron 
sockets  with  swinging  spark  receivers  below, 
and  ebony  young  negroes  to  attend  them.  The 
dining  room  extended  to  the  roof  with  heavy 
carved  timbers  for  its  upper  structure,  and  a 
multitude  of  old  portraits  hung  between  and  be 
low  the  torch  holders.  These  represented  many 
generations  of  Altons,  at  all  ages  from  child 
hood  onward,  and  many  of  them  had  been 
brought  from  England  by  the  pioneer  Alton 
who  had  come  out  as  a  person  of  title  and  rank 
and  high  authority  under  the  absurd  constitu 
tions  of  Clarendon  which  John  Locke  wrought 
out  for  the  government  of  a  wilderness  con 
cerning  the  conditions  of  which  his  ignorance 
was  almost  picturesquely  phenomenal.  That 
was  more  than  a  hundred  years  before  the  time 

138 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

we  are  now  considering  and  with  each  succeed 
ing  generation  of  Altons  new  honors  had  come 
to  the  family  name,  honors  of  war,  of  peace,  of 
scholarship  and  of  high  endeavor  in  every  un 
dertaking. 


'39 


IX 

JACK 

«  ~W~  yOW  big  and  strong  and  handsome 
i  m  you  are !  "  was  Jacqueline's  greet- 

-»•  -*-  ing  to  her  brother  when  he  en 
tered  her  rooms  for  the  promised  tete-a-tete 
supper.  The  young  man  had  donned  his 
brass  buttoned  blue  coat,  whose  white  satin 
lining  was  a  trifle  the  worse  for  wear,  a 
pair  of  close  fitting  knee  breeches,  long  stock 
ings,  low  shoes  with  silver  buckles,  and  a  cam 
bric  shirt  ruffled  at  the  bosom  and  wrists.  Dis 
daining  the  dandyism  of  eel-skin  forelocks,  he 
had  parted  his  hair  in  the  middle — for  the  fash 
ion  of  side  parting  had  not  yet  come  into  vogue 
among  gentlemen — and  brushed  it  back  simply 
over  his  ears,  tying  it  at  the  back  of  his  neck 
with  a  bit  of  ribbon. 

"  You're  superb.  Roger,  and  you'll  make  a 
splendid  soldier !  " 

"  I  hope  so,  dear,"  he  replied ;  "  but  when 
your  tailor  comes  to-morrow,  he  must  subdue 

140 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

his  ideas  sufficiently  to  dress  me  as  a  soldier  and 
not  in  fine  gentleman's  togs  like  these.  I  have 
a  mind  for  thick  blue  jeans,  and  stout  leather 
boots.  Perhaps  you  won't  like  my  appearance 
so  well  when  I  get  myself  up  as  a  real  soldier." 

"  Oh  yes  I  will.  Mr.  Snip,  or  whatever  his 
name  is,  can't  trim  off  your  great  legs  or 
shorten  your  arms  or  do  anything  else  to  mar 
your  superb  physical  proportions,  and  if  he 
doesn't  make  your  new  garments  fit  you  prop 
erly,  I'll  awaken  his  conscience  to  a  degree  that 
will  astonish  him.  You  don't  know  how  I  can 
criticise  and  scold  about  clothes,  Roger.  I've 
had  seven  years'  practice  on  my  seamstresses 
since  you  went  away,  and  of  course  I'm  not 
afraid  of  a  tailor." 

"  The  exercise  of  your  talents  in  that  direc 
tion  has  certainly  not  been  in  vain,"  said  Roger, 
taking  her  by  the  elbows  and  holding  her  at 
arm's  length,  the  better  to  contemplate  the 
costume  she  had  assumed  while  he  had  been 
dressing.  "  You  are  a  work  of  art,  Jack,  and 
all  the  better  because  your  gown  is  two  years 
behind  the  fashion.  I  saw  just  such  gowns  in 
London  two  years  ago,  but  never  so  charming 
a  woman  in  one  of  them." 

"  Is  it  truth  you  speak,  Roger  ?  "  asked  the 
girl  with  a  note  of  real  anxiety  in  her  voice. 

141 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  My  name  is  Alton,  Jack,  I  never  tell  lies, 
even  to  please  a  woman." 

"  But  you've  seen  countesses,  Roger,  in  all 
their  glory ! " 

"  Yes,  and  duchesses,  too,  and  some  of  them 
are  very  fat  and  coarse  and  their  gowns  often 
look  as  if  they  were  made  for  somebody  else, 
with  a  shape  quite  other  than  their  own.  Re 
member,  Jack,  that  you're  a  little  republican, 
entitled  to  hold  your  head  as  high  as  any  duch 
ess  or  princess  in  the  world.  There  are  no 
women  in  England  to  compare  with  our  Caro 
lina  maids  and  matrons,  in  beauty,  intelligence 
or  the  charm  of  high  breeding.  You,  or — or 
any  Carolina  girl  of  your  class  " — Roger  meant 
Helen  Vargave  of  course  but  he  didn't  say  so — 
"  need  yield  no  hair's  breadth  to  the  charms  of 
any  woman  in  all  England." 

"  Then  you  haven't  come  home  in  love, 
Roger?  I'm  gladder  than  I  can  tell  you." 

Roger  blushed  crimson,  and  Jack's  eyes  were 
quick  to  discern  such  signal  flags. 

"  Who  is  she,  and  what  is  she  like,  Roger  ?  " 
she  asked  quickly.  "  Tell  me  all  about  her." 
There  was  an  almost  pained  eagerness  in  the 
girl's  voice,  and  a  saddened  look  in  her  eyes  as 
she  conjured  up  visions  of  some  coming  sister- 
in-law  whom  she  was  predetermined  to  detest, 

142 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

but  who,  she  foresaw,  would  have  the  right  as 
well  as  the  power  to  divide  Roger's  affection 
and  take  to  herself  the  greater  share.  She  im 
agined  some  English  bride  coming  to  Alton 
House  to  rule  there  in  her  stead,  and  bringing 
with  her  great  trunkfuls  of  gowns  two  years 
later  in  style  than  her  own.  The  little  woman 
was  instantly  and  almost  insanely  jealous.  So 
it  was  in  a  hard,  metallic  voice  that  she  repeated 
her  demand — "  Tell  me  all  about  her !  " 

Roger,  being  a  man,  was  clumsy  in  his  per 
ceptions,  as  women  reckon  such  things,  yet 
he  perceived  enough  of  what  was  in  his  sister's 
thought  to  amuse  him,  and  he  had  a  mind  to 
tease  her  a  little. 

"  Well,  she's  about  your  size,  Jack, — or  per 
haps  in  inch  or  so  taller,  and  she  knows  how  to 
ride—" 

"  Don't  trifle,  Roger,  tell  me,"  broke  in  the 
girl,  with  hardness  still  in  her  tone.  "  When  is 
she  coming  here  to  turn  me  out  of  Alton 
House?" 

"  Never,  dear,  never,"  said  the  young  man, 
at  last  realizing  how  much  of  suffering  his 
sister  was  enduring.  "  Helen  Vargave  will 
never  wish,  even  as  my  wife,  to  replace  you 
here  until  you  abdicate  of  your  own  free  will 
to  assume  the  high  position  of  wife  to  some 

"43 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

man  worthy  of  you  and  mistress  of  some  man 
sion  that  shall  be  even  more  your  own  than 
Alton  House  has  been  for  all  these  years." 

The  girl  threw  herself  into  her  brother's 
arms,  in  a  torrent  of  glad  tears. 

"  Oh,  Roger!  why  didn't  you  say  it  was  just 
Helen?  I  thought,  oh,  such  horrible  things! 
Oh,  Roger,  Roger,  Roger !  I  am  so  happy !  " 

Just  then  a  servant  bearing  the  supper  en 
tered,  and  Jacqueline  dried  her  tears.  As  they 
sat  at  meat  she  said : 

"When  did  it  all  happen,  Roger?  Why 
don't  you  begin  at  the  beginning  and  tell  me 
all  about  it?  A  man  is  so  provoking." 

"  But,  dear,  how  can  I  '  tell  you  all  about 
it  ?  '  Don't  you  think  that  that  is  Helen's  privi 
lege?" 

"  Yes,  of  course,  but  I  don't  like  to  wait. 
When  is  it  to  be,  Roger  ?  " 

"  I  don't,  know,  Jack.  Mrs.  Vargave  seems 
to  think  it  can  never  be  at  all." 

"Never  can  be?  But  why  not?  Of  all 
marriages  that  could  be  suggested  none  could 
be  fitter.  What  do  you  mean,  Roger  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  what  I  mean,  Jack.  But  when 
I  spoke  of  this  to  Helen's  mother  she  seemed 
distressed,  and  she  suggested  that  our  father 
might  not  approve.  I  thought  at  first  that  it 

144 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

was  only  her  way  of  manifesting  proper  re 
serve,  but  it  wasn't  that,  Jack,  as  I  soon  learned. 
She  really  expects  father  to  object,  though 
why,  I  cannot  conjecture." 

"  Roger !  "  said  Jack,  after  a  pause,  "  I  be 
lieve  Mrs.  Vargave  is  right.  She  isn't  a  woman 
to  imagine  things.  She  knows  something — I 
can't  imagine  what — but  she  knows  something 
or  she  simply  could  not  have  suggested  an  ob 
jection  on  father's  part.  I  wonder  what  it  can 
be?" 

Roger  did  not  answer.  He  was  wondering 
also.  Presently  Jack  laid  down  the  spoon  with 
which  she  was  taking  some  fruit,  and  looking 
up  with  intense  earnestness,  said: 

"Of  course,  you'll  marry  her  anyhow, 
Roger?" 

"  I'll  marry  her  or  nobody,  and  she  alone  can 
make  it  nobody." 

"  That's  right,  brother !  That's  the  soldier  in 
you — in  other  words  it's  the  manhood.  There 
can  be  no  earthly  reason  why  you  shouldn't 
marry  Helen.  She  is  the  noblest,  worthiest, 
dearest  girl  in  the  world.  She's  the  only 
woman  alive  that  I  would  welcome  here  as 
mistress  and  make  into  a  real  sister.  If  father 
makes  an  objection — well,  I  won't  believe  it. 
But,  anyhow,  if  you  are  half  the  man  I  take  my 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

brother  to  be,  you  will  marry  the  woman  you 
love  if  all  the  demons  stand  in  the  way.  Roger 
promise  me !  " 

"  I  have  already  said  it,  Jack." 

"  But  say  it  again !  say  it  again !  I  simply 
will  not  have  this  thing  left  in  doubt." 

"  It  is  in  no  doubt,  Jack,  dear.  I  say  it  again 
to  please  you,  though  there  is  no  necessity. 
I  not  only  say  it,  but  I  swear  on  my  honor  that 
I  will  marry  Helen  Vargave  or  I  will  marry 
•no  one  so  long  as  I  live,  and  I  swear  that  no 
body's  objection  except  her  own  shall  ever 
stand  in  my  way." 

After  a  minute  he  added : 

"  Don't  let's  indulge  in  heroics,  Jack.  No 
one  is  going  to  interfere  with  an  arrangement 
so  eminently  right  and  fit.  Father  will  feel  it 
the  proudest  moment  of  his  life  when  he  asks 
Mrs.  Vargave  for  Helen's  hand  as  the  wife 
of  his  only  son.  He  will  welcome  her  as  a 
daughter  as  eagerly  as  you  will  greet  her  as 
your  sister.  So  let's  dismiss  the  matter  as 
settled.  And  let's  go  now  to  the  drawing- 
room." 

"  Not  till  your  arrival  is  announced,  brother, 
dear.  You  know  father's  sensitiveness  as  to 
formalities.  Most  people  are  laying  them  aside 
in  thess  revolutionary  days,  but  that  only  makes 

146 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

father  the  more  insistent  upon  them.  '  Imagine 
anybody  slapping  General  Washington  on  the 
back,'  he  said  one  day.  I'll  summon  a  servant 
to  announce  you." 

"  Let  it  be  Marlborough  then,"  said  Roger. 
"  You've  trained  him  superbly,  Jack." 

"  That's  what  I  had  planned.  He's  waiting 
at  the  foot  of  the  stairs."  Then  going  to  the 
door  she  called  the  man  and  he  quickly  re 
sponded.  He  had  meantime  changed  his  attire 
to  that  of  a  footman,  with  a  velvet  coat  and  a 
sunburst  of  ruffled  shirt  front  which  blazed  all 
the  whiter  for  the  contrast  with  the  polished 
ebony  of  his  face.  He  stood  full  six  feet  high, 
with  broad  chest  and  brawny  limbs,  a  man  as 
proud  of  his  service  as  any  soldier  in  his  uni 
form  ever  was.  He  did  not  feel  himself  a  slave. 
He  was  a  stalwart,  duty-loving,  self-respect 
ing  man — proud  of  his  faithfulness  to  his  clan, 
devoted  to  the  house  to  which  he  belonged,  and 
quite  ready  to  prove  himself  worthy  of  its  tra 
ditions  by  any  deed  of  humble  service  or  gal 
lant  derring-do  that  fortune,  good  or  bad, 
might  assign  to  him  as  his  portion. 

With  head  erect  and  shoulders  thrown  back, 
and  with  his  grammar  well  in  hand,  he  preceded 
the  brother  and  sister  down  the  stairs  and 
across  the  hall.  Then,  standing  in  the  drawing- 

'47 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

room  door  he  announced  his  guests  in  a  formula 
of  his  own  devising  which  he  had  spent  an  hour 
in  shaping  to  his  fancy : 

"  Master,  and  gentlemen !  "  he  called,  "  I 
have  the  honor  of  announcing  the  approach  of 
my  mistress,  Miss  Alton,  and  of  her  brother, 
Colonel  Roger  Alton,  just  returned  from  Eng 
land." 

When  asked  afterwards  why  he  had  bestowed 
the  title  of  Colonel  upon  Roger,  Marlborough 
was  ready  with  the  reply : 

"  Why,  Mis'  Jacqueline,  he's  big,  he's  strong, 
he  knows  how  to  carry  himself,  and  he's  the 
next  heir  to  Alton  House.  Doesn't  that  make 
him  a  Colonel  ?  " 


148 


X 


MEN  in  COUNCIL 

T"  TTPON  entering  the  great  drawing-room, 
/  /  Roger's  first  care  was  to  present  him- 
^-/  self  to  his  father,  who  sat  in  a  large 
cushioned  armchair,  with  a  bandaged  foot  rest 
ing  upon  a  stool  in  front  and  with  unmistakable 
lines  of  pain  in  his  countenance. 

"  Welcome,  my  son,"  was  the  father's  greet 
ing.  "  Welcome  and  congratulations.  You 
have  grown  into  a  sturdy  manhood  and  are 
more  than  fit  to  take  up  the  task  of  represent 
ing  our  race  in  the  difficult  struggle  that  lies 
before  us." 

"  Then  you  do  not  condemn  me,  father,  for 
doing  my  duty  without  waiting  for  your  per 
mission?  " 

"  I  expected  no  less  than  that  at  your  hands. 
When  you  came  to  man's  estate  I  was  sure  you 
would  do  your  man's  part.  It  was  not  for  me 
to  command  or  even  to  suggest.  I  wondered 
how  you  would  manage  to  get  here,  but  I  had  at 
no  time  any  doubt  that  you  would  come.'* 

149 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  You  make  me  very  happy,  father,  by  your 
approval.  My  only  regret  is  that  I  find  you 
suffering  so  severely." 

"  It's  a  trifle,  boy,  except  that  it  makes  me 
worthless  when  Carolina  most  needs  me.  But 
enough  of  that;  we  have  guests,  to  whom  I 
wish  to  present  you."  Then  turning  to  the 
gentlemen  who  had  finished  their  obeisances  to 
Jacqueline,  he  said: 

"  Gentlemen,  I  beg  to  present  to  you  my  son, 
Roger,  who  has  just  come  home,  as  you  have 
already  heard,  to  take  up  such  duty  to  the 
country  as  may  fall  to  our  house.  Jacqueline, 
dear,  will  you  introduce  your  brother  to  the 
gentlemen  individually  ?  " 

The  company  was  indeed  a  distinguished 
one,  as  Jacqueline  had  said.  First  of  all  was 
John  Rutledge,  by  universal  consent,  then  and 
afterwards,  the  foremost  Carolinian  alive. 
Scarcely  forty  years  of  age,  he  had  already  had 
a  career  of  distinguished  public  service,  and 
was  destined  to  be  the  inspiring  genius  of  that 
unconquerable  resistance  to  superior  force, 
which  kept  the  revolution  alive  in  Carolina 
throughout  all  the  dark  days  during  which  the 
state  was.  overrun  by  Cornwallis's  merciless 
hordes,  scourged  by  the  faith-breaking,  treach 
erous  cutthroat  Tarleton  and  his  Region  of 

150 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

drilled  and  disciplined  savages,*  and  subjected 
to  the  torch  of  tory  incendiaries. 

Rutledge  was  a  man  born  to  patriotic  serv 
ice  and  wonderfully  gifted  in  rendering  it.  He 
was  a  mere  youth  of  twenty-six  when  Carolina 
sent  him,  at  his  own  expense,  as  her  representa 
tive  in  the  Stamp  Act  Congress  of  1765,  at 
New  York.  At  thirty-five  he  was  a  member 
of  the  South  Carolina  Convention  and  a  dele 
gate  to  the  Continental  Congress  at  Philadel 
phia.  After  two  years  more  of  continuous 
public  service  he  was  made  chairman  of  the 
committee  that  prepared  South  Carolina's  first 
constitution  as  an  independent  state,  and  upon 
the  adoption  of  that  constitution  he  was  chosen 
to  be  first  president  of  the  new  government.  It 

*  If  this  characterization  of  Tarleton  and  his  men 
seems  extravagant  to  any  reader,  I  commend  him  to  a 
study  of  the  simple  facts  of  history.  Mastery  of  them 
cannot  leave  in  any  honest  mind  other  impression  than 
that  even  the  blackness  of  British  conquest  has  never 
produced  a  leader  so  brutal,  so  treacherous,  so  utterly 
regardless  of  the  scant  amenities  of  war  as  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Bannistre  Tarleton,  whose  betrayals  of  truces, 
whose  massacres  of  surrendered  men,  whose  refusal  of 
quarter  to  enemies  overcome,  made  his  name  a  by-word 
in  the  Carolinas  and  a  stench  in  the  nostrils  of  all  brave 
soldiers  in  every  quarter  of  the  world.  There  is  no 
blacker  page  in  all  history,  savage  or  civilized,  than  that 
which  records  the  infamy  of  this  royally  commissioned 
assassin. — Author. 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

was  he  who  overbore  the  counsels  of  Gen. 
Charles  Lee  and  ordered  and  mightily  aided  the 
defence  instead  of  the  surrender  of  Fort  Moul- 
trie,  with  a  result  that  is  still  reckoned  among 
the  famous  feats  of  American  arms.  And  now, 
at  barely  forty  years  of  age,  in  view  of  the  most 
threatening  situation  that  Carolina  had  ever 
known,  he  had  been  chosen  by  unanimous  con 
sent  to  be,  for  the  second  time,  governor  of  the 
state,  and  the  legislature  had  clothed  him  with 
almost  dictatorial  powers,  which  it  afterward 
made  absolute  as  a  measure  of  commanding 
necessity  to  the  public  safety. 

John  Rutledge  was  thus  for  years  the  auto 
crat  of  South  Carolina,  made  so  for  her  salva 
tion,  by  the  universal  voice  of  his  countrymen. 
Not  even  the  confidence  of  Congress  in  Wash 
ington,  was  more  implicit  than  was  that  of 
the  Carolinians  in  John  Rutledge.  Nor  was  the 
one  confidence  better  deserved  or  more  honored 
in  its  outcome  than  the  other. 

Gov.  Rutledge  was  a  man  of  large  frame, 
great  muscularity  and  perfect  physical  health. 
His  energy  was  inexhaustible,  his  wits  keen, 
his  intellect  almost  preternaturally  active,  and 
his  courage  absolutely  dauntless.  He  talked 
rapidly  and  with  force.  He  thought  clearly  and 
he  had  full  confidence  in  the  soundness  of  his 

I52 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

thinking,  as  had  been  shown  when  he  sent 
Moultrie  500  pounds  of  powder  and  ordered 
him  not  to  evacuate  the  fort  under  his  command 
in  obedience  to  the  commanding  general's  or 
ders,  but  to  hold  it  till  he,  Rutledge,  should 
give  orders  for  its  abandonment — a  course  that 
resulted  not  only  in  a  notable  victory  but  also 
in  the  holding  of  the  Carolinas  during  years 
when  their  conquest  would  have  been,  perhaps, 
the  death  knell  of  Washington's  difficult  de 
fence  at  the  north,  and  with  it,  in  all  prob 
ability,  the  inglorious  end  of  the  struggle  for 
American  independence. 

But  strong-willed,  courageous  and  self-re 
liant  as  Rutledge  was,  he  was  wise  enough  to 
seek  counsel  wherever  judicious  counsel  was  to 
be  found.  Hence  his  presence  at  Alton  House. 
For,  physically  unfit  for  service  as  Col.  Geoffrey 
Alton  was  by  reason  of  his  advancing  age,  his 
gout,  and,  more  than  all,  his  wounds  received 
in  the  Indian  wars,  Gov.  Rutledge  knew  and 
trusted  Col.  Alton's  wisdom  as  a  soldier  and  a 
statesman,  and  was  eager,  under  his  new  and 
fearful  load  of  responsibility,  to  consult  with  one 
so  wise,  so  devoted,  and  so  largely  experi 
enced. 

He  had  come  to  Alton  House  upon  this  mis 
sion,  and  he  had  summoned  to  meet  him  there 

153 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

some  others  to  whom  he  looked  for  active  aid 
in  his  difficult  task  of  Carolina's  defence. 

Among  these  was  Francis  Marion,  a  man  of 
few  words,  but  mighty  in  action  and  already 
distinguished  in  war  and  in  statesmanship. 
Roger  saw  in  him  a  man  stockily  built,  with 
legs  much  too  short  for  his  body  and  suggesting 
anything  but  the  cavalier  that  he  afterwards 
became,  with  a  badly  formed,  aquiline  nose, 
but  with  a  resolutely  closed  mouth,  muscles  of 
obtrusive  development,  and  eyes  that  might 
melt  into  tenderness  in  converse  with  a  woman, 
or  flame  into  danger  signals  in  conflict  with  an 
enemy. 

Marion  was  still  several  years  short  of  his 
half  century  of  age.  Yet  he  seemed  a  man  ac 
customed  to  command,  and,  better  still,  to  the 
cheerful  assumption  of  responsibility.  As  he 
looked  the  silent  man  in  the  eyes,  Roger  re 
membered  that  he  had  been  a  private  soldier  at 
twenty-seven,  in  the  Cherokee  wars;  that  for 
three  years  he  had  rendered  notable  service  in 
that  humble  capacity;  that  in  the  battle  of  Et- 
choee  he  had  volunteered  to  lead  a  forlorn  hope 
in  an  enterprise  so  desperate  that  scarcely  any 
one  of  the  party  but  himself  survived  the  as 
sault;  that  after  service  in  the  provincial  con 
gress,  he  had  been  made  a  captain  under  Moul- 

154 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

trie ;  that  he  had  been  a  leader  in  the  force  that 
captured  the  British  fort  Johnson  and  turned 
its  guns  upon  the  enemy's  ships  in  the  harbor 
with  such  destructive  effect  as  to  drive  every 
one  of  them  out  to  the  inhospitable  sea;  that 
one  after  another,  important  fortresses  had 
been  placed  under  his  command ;  and  that  when 
a  powerful  fleet  had  assailed  the  half-finished 
fort  on  Sullivan's  Island,  it  was  this  man  Mar 
ion  whom  Moultrie  summoned  to  aid  him  in 
that  celebrated  defence  in  which  he  utterly  de 
feated  an  enemy  superior  in  every  resource  and 
every  appliance  of  war.  Marion  was  now  in 
supreme  command  of  Charles  Town's  chief  de 
fensive  work,  Fort  Moultrie,  and  Rutledge  held 
him  in  esteem  as  the  man  of  all  others  upon 
whose  fortitude  and  discretion  and  whose 
"  vast  and  varied  fighting  capacity,"  to  use  his 
own  words,  he  could  confidently  rely. 

There  was  young  Horry  present  also,  a  man 
yet  unknown  to  fame,  but  destined  later  to  win 
great  renown  in  partisan  war,  for  his  daring 
and  his  singular  command  of  men.  He  was  a 
very  bad  horseman,  and  to  the  end  he  never 
learned  to  ride,  yet  he  chose  the  career  of  a  cav 
alier  as  his  own,  and,  in  spite  of  many  tumbles 
from  the  saddle  in  action,  made  his  name  fa 
mous  as  a  rough  rider. 

155 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

In  like  manner,  Marion,  who  could  not  swim, 
always  avoided  bridges  and  by  forcing  his 
horses  to  swim  rivers,  accomplished  many  sur 
prises  that  would  otherwise  have  been  imprac 
ticable. 

There  were  others  in  that  company,  too,  but 
Rutledge  was  the  soul  of  it.  Full  of  energy  to 
overflowing,  inspired  by  an  enthusiasm  that 
was  irresistibly  contagious,  and  possessed  of 
conversational  gifts  of  the  rarest  attractiveness 
— an  inheritance  from  his  Irish  ancestry — he 
talked  much  and  so  effectively  as  to  draw  from 
each  of  his  hearers  all  that  was  best  and  most 
suggestive  in  his  mind. 

"  Lincoln  cannot  long  hold  the  British  in 
Georgia,"  he  explained.  "  He  is  a  brilliant 
commander  and  a  tireless  one,  but  his  army  is 
utterly  inadequate  to  the  task  that  has  been 
set  for  it. 

"  Prevost  is  constantly  growing  stronger  by 
reinforcements  from  Florida,  and  I  look  pres 
ently  to  see  heavy  battalions  brought  to  his  as 
sistance  from  the  north.  Within  a  month  or 
two  at  most,  he  will  overrun  our  low  country, 
and  knock  at  the  gates  of  Charles  Town.  We 
shall  do  our  best  to  beat  him  off,  and  I  think 
we  shall  succeed,  for  Charles  Town  is  admirably 
situated  for  defence,  and  I  shall  use  the  extraor- 

156 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

dinary  powers  entrusted  to  me,  to  put  all  the 
available  men  in  the  state  into  service;  but 
sooner  or  later,  in  all  probability  this  British 
assault  upon  the  south  will  succeed.  Charles 
Town  will  fall  as  Savannah  has  already  done. 
But  we  must  not  let  that  discourage  us.  We 
must  remember  that  our  enemy  has  been  master 
of  Boston — before  Washington  drove  him  out 
— of  New  York,  which  he  still  holds,  of  Phila 
delphia  which  he  has  been  forced  to  evacuate, 
of  the  Jerseys  till  Washington  made  that  coun 
try  a  British  and  Hessian  graveyard,  and  of 
pretty  nearly  every  other  point  of  strategic  im 
portance  at  the  north,  and  yet  to-day  he  is  no 
stronger  there  than  when  the  war  began.  He 
is  weaker  in  fact.  Burgoyne's  magnificently 
planned  campaign  for  conquering  the  Hudson 
river  country  and  cutting  New  England  off 
from  the  rest  of  the  republic,  ended  in  the  sur 
render  of  the  finest  army  that  our  enemy  has 
ever  been  able  to  put  into  the  field  against  us. 
After  four  years  of  war  the  north  is  as  com 
pletely  unconquered  now  as  it  was  when  the 
war  began.  The  enemy  is  shut  up  in  garrison 
towns,  and  he  turns  now  to  the  south  in  the 
hope  of  finding  here  an  easier  task.  In  Vir 
ginia  all  his  campaigns  have  achieved  nothing 
more  important  than  the  robbery  of  some  hen- 

157 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

roosts  and  pig-pens  and  the  burning  of  a  few 
barns.  Here  at  the  south  we  have  yet  to  see 
what  he  can  do  to  repair  his  former  failures  at 
Charles  Town ;  but  he  has  taken  Savannah  as  a 
secure  base  of  operations  and  now  that  his 
efforts  are  manifestly  to  be  concentrated  here, 
he  will  probably  take  all  our  cities  just  as  he 
has  done  at  the  north.  It  is  for  us  to  make  their 
capture  as  costly  as  possible  to  him,  and  when 
they  are  captured,  to  teach  him,  as  Washington 
and  Greene  and  Stark  and  Gates  have  taught 
him  at  the  north,  that  the  war  goes  on  without 
regard  to  what  they  call  strategic  positions. 
In  a  country  like  ours  there  are  no  strategic 
positions,  or  none  at  any  rate  the  control  of 
which  can  render  an  enemy  our  master,  if  we 
are  brave  and  resolute.  Dogged  determination 
means  more  for  us  than  regiments  and  bat 
teries." 

"  Your  idea  then  is  that  we  can  keep  up  the 
war  no  matter  how  completely  the  coigns  of 
vantage  may  be  in  the  enemy's  hands,  and  no 
matter  how  great  an  army  he  may  bring  against 
us  ?  "  said  young  Horry. 

"  Precisely.  We  can  calculate  how  many 
British  troops  it  will  require  to  capture  arid  to 
hold  Charles  Town,  and  Camden  and  the  rest. 
But  who  can  reckon  how  many  it  will  take  to 

158 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

conquer  the  woods  and  swamps  that  lie  be 
tween  ?  These,  and  not  the  cities,  are  our  strong 
holds.  If  we  are  brave  and  determined  and 
active,  the  capture  of  our  cities  and  towns  will 
mark  only  the  beginning  of  war,  and  just  as 
the  enemy  imagines  his  task  done  he  will  find 
out  that  its  difficulties  are  only  beginning.  Mr. 
Alton,  the  younger,  is  fresh  from  Oxford  and 
well  up  in  his  classics.  He  doubtless  remem 
bers  the  story — I  forget  the  names  and  the 
details — of  that  old  backwoods  King  who  had 
a  little  talk  with  the  Romans  when  they  im 
agined  that  they  had  conquered  his  country  and 
were  ready  to  receive  his  submission.  '  Bring 
hither  a  dried  bull's  hide/  he  said  to  his  attend 
ants.  When  the  hide  came  he  ordered  one  of 
his  men  to  stand  on  a  certain  spot.  '  There ! ' 
he  cried.  '  That  spot  is  down.  Now  stand  on 
this  other  one  where  the  hide  is  well  up  from 
the  ground.  Now  that  is  down,  but  you  ob 
serve  that  the  other  one  popped  up  again  as 
soon  as  the  fellow  stepped  off  it  to  hold  this  new 
place  down.  So  it  will  be  with  my  dominions. 
You  may  trample  any  part  of  them  to  the  earth, 
but  the  moment  you  withdraw  from  the  con 
quered  part  to  repress  some  other,  the  first  will 
spring  up  again  as  high  as  ever.  If  you  ex 
pect  to  hold  us  in  subjection  you  must  bring 

'59 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

men  enough  to  cover  the  whole  bull's  hide  at 
once,  and  you  haven't  got  men  enough  for  that.' 
That  old  Dutchman's  lesson  is  the  one  we've 
got  to  teach  the  British.  We'll  defend  Charles 
Town  as  long  as  we  can.  We'll  meet  armies 
with  armies  whenever  it  is  possible  to  do  so. 
And  when  that  ceases  to  be  possible  we'll  begin 
the  war  in  earnest,  making  every  tree  a  picket 
post,  every  woodpile  a  masked  battery,  every 
swamp  a  fortress  and  a  seat  of  incessant  of 
fence." 

"  But  what  of  the  tories,  Governor  Rut- 
ledge  ?  "  asked  Roger. 

"  Yes,  I  hear  that  you  have  already  encount 
ered  one  of  them.  I  congratulate  you.  Such 
young  men  as  you  may  be  trusted  to  keep  them 
in  awe  until  the  British  swarm  over  the  country. 
Then  they  will  be  troublesome,  of  course.  But 
at  any  rate  they  must  then  declare  themselves, 
and  we  shall  know  how  to  deal  with  them.  If 
they  turn  out  to  fight  us  as  soldiers,  we  shall 
meet  them  and  treat  them  as  such.  If  they 
skulk  and  hide  and  stab  us  in  the  back,  and  set 
fire  to  our  barns,  why  we'll  simply  hang  them 
as  fast  as  we  can  catch  them.  Fortunately  we 
have  the  means  of  putting  them  to  the  proof. 
Whenever  the  British  make  a  serious  advance 
into  South  Carolina,  I  shall  order  out  the  entire 

I  60 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

body  of  the  militia  under  the  authority  con 
ferred  upon  me  for  this  emergency.  Confisca 
tion  of  property,  personal  arrest  and  yawning 
jails  await  those  who  refuse  to  respond,  while 
acts  of  treason — well,  you  know  death  by  hang 
ing  is,  all  the  world  over,  the  punishment  for 
such  crimes.  At  present  we  do  not  know  who 
is  a  friend  or  who  an  enemy ;  who  a  patriot  and 
who  a  traitor  to  his  native  land.  But  when  the 
call  comes  for  men  to  meet  an  invading  enemy 
we  shall  know.  Then  every  man  must  take  one 
side  or  the  other,  or  fall  into  the  worst  sort  of 
difficulties  between  the  lines." 

"  It  seems  to  me  a  special  pity,"  said  Col. 
Alton,  in  his  grave,  deliberate  way,  "  that  we 
cannot  organize  the  militia  now,  in  advance  of 
the  need  of  embodying  it.  In  my  small  expe 
rience  I  have  observed  that  the  greatest  source 
of  danger  in  confronting  an  enemy  with  raw 
levies  is  the  lack  of  a  habit  on  the  part  of  the 
men,  of  waiting  for  orders  and  obeying  them, 
when  they  are  given.  More  properly,  perhaps, 
I  should  say  that  militiamen,  hastily  embodied, 
are  too  much  disposed  to  take  orders  from  per 
sons  not  entitled  to  issue  them,  and  all  for  lack 
of  the  soldierly  habit.  The  men  are  individually 
brave,-  but  collectively  they  are  apt  to  run 
away  if  any  timid  one  among  them  sets  the 

161 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

example.  Have  you  not  observed  that,  Col. 
Marion  ?  " 

"  Often,"  answered  the  silent  man,  and  he 
added  not  another  word  to  his  answer. 

"But  what  remedy  is  available?"  asked 
Rutledge,  who  was  always  on  the  alert^  for 
helpful  suggestions.  "  You  know  our  militia 
cannot  be  brought  into  camps  or  kept  there 
when  no  enemy  threatens.  They  feel  the  neces 
sity  of  being  at  home  to  cultivate  and  harvest 
their  crops,  when  not  needed  in  actual  service, 
and  in  spite  of  all  laws  and  orders  to  the  con 
trary  they  quit  camp  and  go  home  the  moment 
the  enemy  retires  or  settles  himself  into  in 
activity.  I  know  a  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterian 
preacher  up  in  the  mountains  who  once  said  to 
me — '  I  can  put  every  man  and  boy  in  my  con 
gregation  into  the  field  whenever  I  suspend 
services  to  tell  them  that  the  British  are  coming ; 
but  I  can't  keep  a  manjack  of  them  there  for 
a  single  day  after  the  menace  has  passed  away. 
They  are  ready  enough  to  shoot  and  be  shot, 
but  their  instinct  of  industry  revolts  against  the 
idleness  of  camp  life,  and  their  love  of  home  is 
a  passion.'  I  think  the  preacher  was  right," 
continued  the  governor,  "  and  a  Catholic  priest 
in  Georgetown  said  much  the  same  thing  to  me, 
wittily  adding  '  my  lads  are  always  ready  to 

162 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

fight  soldiers  for  liberty  but  they  don't  want  to 
fight  windmills  for  her.  A  battle,  they  under 
stand  ;  but  a  sham  battle  seems  to  them  foolish 
ness.'  " 

"  How  would  it  do,"  suggested  Roger  with 
much  diffidence,  "  to  institute  very  small  and 
compact  local  organizations  of  militia,  not  as 
militia,  but  as  patriots  organizing  and  drilling 
themselves  in  order  that  their  service  may  be 
the  more  effective  when  the  need  of  it  arises?  " 

"  Would  you  mind  explaining  your  idea 
a  little  more  fully?  "  asked  Rutledge.  "  It  im 
presses  me  as  one  that  may  be  worth  trying." 

"  Well,"  said  Roger,  with  some  hesitation, 
"  my  idea  is  simply  the  outcome  of  the  think 
ing  I  have  done  concerning  my  own  service.  I 
could  remain  simply  a  militiaman,  subject  to  your 
call,  Governor,  but  it  has  seemed  to  me  that  I 
might  render  a  much  greater  service  by  gather 
ing  together  the  overseers  on  the  Alton  planta 
tions  and  their  boys,  and  the  carpenters  and 
wheelwrights  and  blacksmiths  in  the  neighbor 
hood,  and  the  best  of  the  negroes,  and  organ 
izing  and  drilling  them  for  service.  Then  there 
would  be  a  little  company  here  as  compact  and 
as  well  accustomed  to  obey  orders  as  any  that 
a  camp  of  instruction  could  turn  out.  If  some 
body  in  every  neighborhood  were  encouraged 

163 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

to  do  the  same  thing,  it  has  seemed  to  me  that 
we  might  make  your  militia,  Gov.  Rutledge, 
as  effective  in  a  little  while,  as  the  Continentals 
themselves.  Only  it  would  be  necessary  to 
make  the  service  of  these  volunteers  a  matter  of 
obligation,  after  they  had  once  enlisted  in  it, 
and  to  clothe  their  commanders  with  adequate 
authority.  I  suppose  that  would  require  some 
sort  of  legislation." 

"  I  think  not,"  answered  Marion.  "  The 
powers  entrusted  to  Gov.  Rutledge  might  en 
able  him  to  dispense  with  a  statute." 

"  You  are  right,  Col.  Marion.  I  have  ample 
authority  to  authorize  this  sort  of  organization 
wherever  it  is  practicable,  and  to  commission 
commanders  for  the  purpose.  But  unhappily 
we  have  few  men  anywhere  disposed  to  under 
take  such  a  task,  as  Mr.  Roger  Alton  is — let 
me  say  Captain  Roger  Alton  rather,  as  I  pur 
pose  on  my  return  to  Charles  Town,  to  issue  to 
you,  Mr.  Alton,  a  commission  as  captain  for  the 
carrying  out  of  your  idea.  Your  commission 
will  date  from  to-day,  and  you  may  begin  your 
work  of  organization  as  soon  as  you  please. 
Your  requisitions  for  uniforms,  arms,  ammuni 
tion  and  all  the  rest  of  it,  will  be  honored  at 
Charles  Town,  Captain." 

"  Pardon  me,  Governor,  will  you  not  add  one 

164 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

privilege  to  your  generous  gifts  ?  Will  you  not 
let  me  carry  out  my  full  purpose,  which  is  to 
uniform,  arm,  equip  and  maintain  my  little 
company  at  my  own  expense  ?  My  good  sister 
here,"  turning  to  Jacqueline  and  lovingly  tak 
ing  her  hand,  "  has  so  wisely  administered  my 
inheritance  in  my  absence,  that  I  have  money 
sufficient  for  this  purpose,  while,  before  our 
liberties  are  secured,  the  state  is  likely  to  be  sore 
beset  to  meet  the  demands  upon  its  treasury. 
Will  you  not  let  me  make  the  maintenance  of 
my  little  local  company  a  personal  charge  upon 
my  own  resources  ?  " 

Gov.  Rutledge  rose  from  his  chair  and 
grasped  the  young  man's  hand.  He  was  almost 
in  tears,  so  intensely  did  he  feel  in  every  matter 
that  concerned  his  stupendous  task  of  defence. 
He  looked  Roger  in  the  eyes  for  a  moment,  and 
then  said,  "  God  bless  you,  boy!  " 

Then  he  turned  to  Jacqueline  and  almost 
stared  at  her.  Presently  he  said — "  and  it  is  you, 
my  dear  young  lady,  that  have  made  this  pos 
sible  !  "  Then  he  leaned  forward  and  kissed 
her  reverently  on  the  forehead. 

"  In  the  name  of  South  Carolina  and  of  the 
United  States  of  America,"  he  said,  "  in  the 
name  of  human  liberty,  girl,  I  lovingly  salute 
you!" 

165 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

The  Irish  blood  in  his  veins  had  mastered 
him,  but  Jacqueline  was  equal  to  the  occasion. 

"  I  salute  Carolina !  "  she  cried,  with  head 
thrown  back  and  eyes  ablaze,  "  I  salute  the 
United  States!  I  salute  liberty!  Am  I  not 
their  daughter  ?  To  you  strong  men  it  is  given 
to  dare  and  to  do!  To  us  weak  women  it  is 
given  only  to  inspire.  Gentlemen,  I  bid  you 
good-night,  and  I  say  to  you,  for  all  the  women 
of  Carolina — we  love  you  because  you  are 
strong  and  brave  and  true,  we  honor  you  be 
cause  you  are  patriots.  Good  night,  good  gen 
tlemen  ! " 

As  she  ended  her  speech  she  made  a  low 
courtesy  in  the  doorway,  and  an  instant  later 
she  had  gone. 

"  Men  and  brethren ! "  exclaimed  young 
Horry,  "  there  spoke  our  noble  womankind. 
They  love  liberty  with  a  passion  greater  than 
any  of  which  we  are  capable.  If  we  are  men 
half  worthy  of  them  we  shall  all  be  in  well- 
earned  graves  before  their  hope  for  their  native 
land  is  disappointed."  Then  seizing  the  de 
canter,  he  poured  bumpers  of  Madeira  for  all 
present,  and  offered  the  toast — 

"  The  women  of  Carolina — to  them  we 
pledge  ourselves  for  Independence,  if  it  be  in 
human  power  to  achieve  it,  and  if  not,  then  for 

166 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

honorable  death  to  ourselves,   and  graves  fit 
for  the  watering  of  their  tears !  " 

Does  it  all  sound  overwrought  and  hysterical, 
oh,  safely-housed  reader  of  to-day,  to  whom  the 
nationality  that  such  men,  inspired  by  such 
women,  won  for  you,  is  a  commonplace?  Re 
member  for  what  stakes  they  played !  Remem 
ber  how  tremendous  the  issue  was!  Remem 
ber  how  much  you  owe  to  the  fact  that  they 
were  hot-blooded  men  and  women,  capable  of 
high  enthusiasms  and  of  such  self-sacrifice  as 
our  more  calculating  generation,  to  its  sore  dis 
credit,  scorns  as  romantic  and  absurd!  And 
read  history  a  little  for  the  enlightenment  of 
your  mind  and  the  illumination  of  your  soul! 
Learn  from  human  records  how  great  a  force 
enthusiasm  is,  how  large  a  part  romance  has 
played  in  working  out  humanity's  most  vital 
problems!  Learn  to  love  and  admire,  where 
now  you  coldly  criticise  in  self-sufficient  scorn. 
Try  to  understand  what  stuff  heroes  and  hero 
ines  are  made  of,  and  how  much  worthier  that 
stuff  is  than  all  the  virtues  of  our  commercial 
age  can  ever  be! 


167 


XI 

A  love  and  life  PERPLEXITY 

ITFVT'HEN    young    Barnegal,    at    Tor- 
t/i/  ranee's    Tavern    announced    his 

*  '  purpose  of  riding  half  way  to 

Alton  House  with  Roger,  he  had  another  rea 
son  for  the  intention  besides  his  desire  to  be  for 
a  time  in  company  with  his  old  schoolfellow. 
On  the  way  he  confided  that  reason  to  his  com 
panion. 

"  You  know,  Roger,"  he  said,  "  how  fond 
I  was  of  Jacqueline  and  she  of  me  when  she 
and  you  and  I  were  playmates  at  Alton  House. 
You  remember  how,  when  you  and  I  fell  under 
the  displeasure  of  our  tutor,  she  always  came  to 
the  rescue  either  by  wheedling  or  by  terrifying 
the  old  fellow — for  the  little  maid  was  quite 
equal  to  either  undertaking  with  her  winning 
ways  and  her  capacity  for  haughty  imperious- 
ness.  Well,  it  was  a  sort  of  brother  love  I  felt 
for  her  then.  But  as  we  both  grew  older  it 
ripened  into  a  much  deeper  passion,  and  now 

1 68 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Jacqueline  has  consented  to  be  my  affianced 
bride  as  soon  as  the  necessary  formalities  be 
tween  the  two  families  have  been  fulfilled." 

Roger  reined  in  his  horse  and  grasped  his 
companion's  hand. 

"  I  am  so  glad,  old  fellow,  so  glad !  No 
more  joyous  news  could  come  to  me  than  this, 
to  greet  me  on  my  return.  But  why  not  com 
plete  the  formalities  at  once?  Why  not  ride 
with  me  to  Alton  House  to-day,  and  ask  my 
father  for  the  consent  that  he  will  be  more  than 
ready  to  give?  " 

"  You  forget  my  uncle,"  answered  Barnegal. 
"  Oh,  Tiger  Bill  ?  But  you  wrote  me  in 
England  that  you  and  he  were  no  longer  on 
terms — that  you  had  parted  finally  after  a  great 
quarrel.  Have  you  since  become  reconciled?  " 
"  Not  in  the  least.  When  I  came  of  age 
two  years  ago  my  uncle  sent  for  me  and  closed 
the  guardianship  he  had  so  long  exercised,  by 
turning  over  to  me  the  estate  left  me  by  my 
father,  and  almost  flinging  in  my  face  the 
documents  that  testified  to  the  scrupulous  fidel 
ity  to  every  legal  requirement  with  which  he 
had  discharged  the  trust.  I  felt  a  little  tenderly 
toward  the  lonely  old  man,  and  sought  to  make 
the  parting  pleasant;  but  he  would  not  have  it 
so.  When  I  spoke  of  the  fidelity  of  his  guard- 

169 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

ianship  and  thanked  him  for  it  he  fell  into  a 
rage,  shook  his  clenched  fists  at  me  and  an 
swered  :  '  So  you  expected  it  to  be  otherwise  did 
you?  You  thought  me  a  thief  who  had  been 
robbing  you  all  these  years,  and  now  that  you 
can  pick  no  flaw  in  my  accounts  you  are  sur 
prised  to  find  that  I  have  stolen  nothing,  and 
you  impudently  tell  me  so  to  my  face ! '  It 
was  useless  to  protest  that  my  words  bore  no 
such  meaning.  He  was  in  one  of  his  savage 
tempers  when  to  have  said  anything,  even  in 
kindness,  would  only  have  excited  him  fur 
ther.  He  was  an  old  or  at  least  an  elderly 
man  and  my  nearest,  indeed,  my  only  kins 
man,  so  far  as  I  know,  on  earth.  I  could 
not  quarrel  with  him,  so  I  turned  on  my 
heel  and  left  him.  Since  then  we  have  held  no 
communication ;  but  to-day,  when  we  reach  the 
entrance  to  his  plantation,  I  am  going  to  him  to 
demand  that,  as  the  head  of  our  family,  he 
shall  ask  your  father  for  Jacqueline's  hand  for 
me." 

"You  are  an  idiot,  Charlie!"  exclaimed 
Roger,  lapsing  into  the  familiarity  of  boy 
hood.  "  You  know  your  uncle  will  refuse." 

"  Of  course  he  will.  If  I  proposed  that  he 
should  ask  for  the  hand  of  some  woman  who 
would  make  life  a  torture  to  me  he  would  do  it 

170 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

with  a  positively  insane  joy.  But  when  I  sug 
gest  Jacqueline  to  him  he  will  fly  into  a  rage 
and  probably  order  me  out  of  his  house." 

"  Then  why  in  the  name  of  common  sense 
do  you  go  to  him  at  all  ?  " 

"  Because  I  must.  Jacqueline  herself  de 
mands  it.  I  proposed  to  ignore  my  uncle  al 
together,  and  go  to  your  father  as  myself  the 
head  of  my  own  branch  of  the  family.  But 
she  vetoed  that  at  once.  '  Your  uncle  is  a  very 
unlovely  and  unreasonable  person/  she  said, 
'  and  I  understand  that  for  some  reason  which 
you  know  nothing  about,  he  chooses  to  hate 
you  with  extraordinary  malice.  But  he  is  still 
the  head  of  the  Barnegal  house,  and  while  he 
lives,  I  cannot  marry  you  without  his  consent. 
It  may  break  my  heart,  and  yours  too,  worse 
luck,  but  as  a  daughter  of  Alton  House  I  will 
never  enter  any  family  against  the  will  of  its 
head.'  So  you  see,  Roger,  I  must  go  to  my 
uncle." 

"  I  don't  see  anything  of  the  kind.  By  his 
evil  temper  your  uncle  has  made  himself  an 
Ishmael  in  Carolina.  And  you  remember  that 
Ishmael  was  not  recognized  as  the  head  of  his 
father's  tribe.  Your  uncle  has  completely  for 
feited  all  claim  to  recognition.  It  is  society  that 
assigns  to  a  man  the  honor  and  authority  of 

I/I 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

family  headship,  and  your  uncle  has  affronted 
and  contemned  society.  What  right  has  he  to 
claim  rights  and  privileges  at  its  hands?  No, 
Charlie,  you  owe  him  no  deference,  and  as  for 
Jacqueline,  I'll  teach  her  the  difference  between 
a  woman's  proper  pride,  and  a  nonsensical  sac 
rifice  of  her  life  and  yours  upon  a  whim  like 
this.  Come  along  with  me  to  Alton  House,  and 
see  how  quickly  I  shall  set  things  right." 

"  I  must  first  fulfil  her  commands,  Roger. 
After  that — after  my  uncle  shall  have  turned 
me  out  of  his  house,  perhaps  with  insults  for 
which  I  cannot  call  him  to  account  as  I  should 
were  he  any  other  man  in  the  world — after  all 
that  is  ended,  I  will  consider  what  is  to  be 
done." 

"  Very  well.  But  promise  me  one  thing. 
Promise  me  that  you  will  at  any  rate  come  to 
Alton  House  within  the  week,  and  before  you 
do  anything  or  accept  anything  as  finally  de 
termined  !  " 

'*  I  promise  that.  I  am  none  too  eager  to  let 
a  man  who  hates  me  with  unspeakable  malice 
work  ruin  to  my  life.  After  I  shall  have 
honored  him  with  a  deference  that  he  does  not 
deserve,  I  will  go  at  once  home — for  I  haven't 
so  much  as  an  extra  pocket  handkerchief  with 
me  now — and  within  a  very  few  days  I  will 

172 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

journey  to  Alton  House.  There  I  will  go  to 
your  father  and  claim  the  right  to  regard  my 
self  as  the  head  of  my  own  family,  entitled  to 
ask  him  for  his  daughter's  hand.  I  shall  thus 
satisfy  every  possible  demand  of  social  custom, 
and  perhaps  you  will  be  able  to  persuade  Jac 
queline  to  see  that  I  have  done  so.  Her  pride 
is  all  that  I  fear  now  as  an  obstacle." 

By  this  time  the  pair  had  reached  the  point 
where  their  roads  parted,  and  with  warm  adieus 
they  separated,  Roger  to  proceed  on  his  jour 
ney,  Barnegal  to  confront  his  evil  tempered 
relative. 


'73 


XII 

TIGER  BILL 

ALTHOUGH  it  was  only  a  little  past 
/-i  mid-winter,  the  day  was  a  good  deal 
-*  -4.  more  than  comfortably  warm,  and 
after  his  morning  ride  over  his  plantation, 
"  Tiger  Bill "  Barnegal,  as  he  was  always 
called,  passed  through  the  low  lying,  broadly 
built,  one-storied  house,  and,  seating  him 
self  on  the  spacious  veranda,  rapped  with  his 
riding  whip  upon  a  table  that  'stood  there 
as  if  awaiting  his  command.  To  the  servant 
who  appeared  in  answer  to  his  rapping,  he 
spoke  but  the  one  word  of  command : 
"  Snack !  "  The  negro  boy  disappeared  and 
a  few  minutes  later  came  out  again  bearing  a 
tray  on  which  some  cold  dishes  were  arranged 
around  a  decanter  of  brandy  that  stood  in  the 
centre.  Tiger  Bill  seized  this  latter  the 
moment  the  tray  was  placed  upon  the  table,  and 
filling  a  small  engraved  wine  glass  with  the 
spirits,  drained  it  at  a  draught.  Then  filling 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

it  again  he  held  it  up  to  the  light  and  lovingly 
contemplated  its  rich  amber  sparkle  before  sip 
ping  it  slowly  and  with  relish.  Not  until  he 
had  finished  and  filled  it  again  did  he  seem  to 
have  appetite  for  the  dainty  cold  biscuits  and 
the  paper-thin  slices  of  ham .  that  constituted 
his  "  snack." 

He  was  clad  from  head  to  foot  in  spotless 
white  linen,  as  was  his  custom  except  in  the 
coldest  weather  that  the  southern  coast  country 
knows.  He  was  exquisitely  groomed  and 
shaven  so  smoothly  as  to  leave  no  faintest  sug 
gestion  of  beard  upon  his  face.  His  hair,  as 
white  even  as  his  linen,  was  still  thick  upon  his 
head,  and  he  wore  it,  after  the  fashion  of  the 
time,  brushed  smoothly  back  without  a  part, 
and  done  into  a  queue  behind. 

"  Shoes !  "  he  said  to  the  servant  who  stood 
behind  him,  and  that  attentive  person  quickly 
removed  his  master's  riding  boots  and  stock 
ings,  and  setting  a  foot-tub  of  cold  water  before 
him,  proceeded  to  bathe  his  feet.  When  he  had 
carefully  adjusted  fresh  hose  to  his  master's 
legs  and  placed  a  pair  of  low  cut,  silver-buckled 
shoes  upon  his  feet,  the  negro  retired  without 
further  orders  and  the  planter  resumed  his 
leisurely  but  close  attention  to  the  decanter. 
The  serving-man  knew  that  he  would  sit  there 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

sipping  brandy  till  the  four  o'clock  dinner  hour, 
if  he  were  not  interrupted,  as  was  exceedingly 
unlikely. 

For  Tiger  Bill  Barnegal  had  no  white  in 
mate  in  his  house,  and  it  was  not  his  custom  to 
receive  visitors.  This  man,  always  of  violent 
temper,  had  quarrelled  with  the  world  a  quarter 
of  a  century  before,  and  from  that  time  to  this 
had  held  as  little  intercourse  with  his  fellow- 
men  as  the  exigencies  of  his  affairs  would  per 
mit.  Two  or  three  times  a  year  he  wrote  a 
business  letter  to  his  factor  in  Charles  Town. 
He  received  in  the  veranda  the  sailormen  who 
managed  his  little  fleet  of  coasting  craft,  when 
they  came  up  the  creek  to  the  plantation  to 
receive  freight  or  orders.  He  went  to  court 
four  times  a  year  to  attend  to  affairs  that  might 
be  most  conveniently  arranged  at  that  general 
meeting-place  of  men,  and  still  more  to  watch 
the  course  of  the  multifarious  litigation  in 
which  he  was  constantly  engaged.  For  he  al 
ways  had  lawsuits  pending,  most  of  them  friv 
olous  in  character  and  cantankerous  in  their 
origin.  In  brief,  he  was  a  man  at  war  with 
humankind.  He  had  well  earned  his  sobriquet 
of  "  Tiger  Bill." 

But  he  was  destined  on  this  afternoon  to  be 
interrupted  in  that  brandy  sipping  which,  in- 

176 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

dulged  in  daily  for  many  years,  had  inflamed 
his  complexion  as  much  as  his  temper.  He 
had  scarcely  settled  himself  comfortably,  in 
deed,  before  his  nephew  rode  up  and,  dis 
mounting,  entered  the  high  hung  veranda. 

Tiger  Bill  rose  and  advanced  to  meet  the 
younger  Barnegal,  but  with  no  suggestion  of 
welcome  in  his  mien. 

"  May  I  ask  to  what  I  am  indebted  for 
this  visit?  I  assure  you  it  is  quite  unex 
pected." 

"  I  know  that  very  well,  uncle,  and  I  have 
not  willingly  intruded  upon  you.  I  come  solely 
upon  a  matter  of  imperative  business.  If  you 
will  permit  me  I  will  state  the  matter  as  briefly 
as  possible,  and  will  then  relieve  you  of  a 
presence  which  I  know  to  be  unwelcome." 

"  Does  the  imperative  business  of  which  you 
speak,  concern  me  in  any  way  ?  "  asked  the  elder 
man,  still  putting  a  cynical  sneer  into  every 
word  by  the  tone  and  manner  in  which  he  spoke 
it. 

"  Yes,  sir,  it  concerns  you  as  the  head  of 
our  family.  I  have  come  to  ask  your  approval 
of  a  marriage  that  I  have  in  contemplation." 

"  Ah !  indeed.  Marriage  is  always  an  inter 
esting  subject.  Most  human  follies  are  so. 
But  in  order  to  give  the  matter  the  undivided 

177 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

attention  that  its  possibilities  of  good — or  evil 
— deserve,  we  need  to  discuss  it  calmly  and  in 
comfortable  postures.  We  will  be  seated,  if 
you  please." 

With  that,  he  brought  the  stock  of  his  riding- 
whip  down  upon  the  table  with  a  violence  that 
made  the  glasses  jingle  and  warned  the  black 
man  in  the  neighboring  dining-room  not  to 
tarry  long  before  answering  the  familiar  sum 
mons.  The  servitor  appeared  almost  in 
stantly  and  his  master,  waving  his  hand  at  the 
porch  chairs  that  stood  everywhere  about,  bade 
him  "  set  out  a  chair  for  this  gentleman's  use." 

There  was  so  much  of  scorn  and  contempt  in 
the  cynical  courtesy  that  young  Barnegal's  first 
impulse  was  to  decline  the  proffered  seat,  turn 
on  his  heel  and  quit  the  place  at  once.  But 
he  thought  better  of  that  and  seated  himself 
instead. 

"  Bring  a  glass  for  this  gentleman's  use," 
was  the  next  command. 

Young  Barnegal,  like  all  the  men  of  his  time, 
was  accustomed  to  take  a  social  glass  upon 
occasion,  particularly  after  a  long  journey  on 
horseback.  But  so  repugnant  to  him  was  the 
thought  of  eating  or  drinking  under  his  uncle's 
roof  that  he  sought  to  decline  the  hospitality; 
but  the  elder  man  held  to  his  purpose. 

.78 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  Surely  you  would  not  affront  me  by  refus 
ing  to  take  a  glass  with  me  after  your  long 
ride." 

"  I  meant  no  affront  sir,  I  assure  you, 
but—" 

"  Very  well  then,  fill  your  glass  and  permit 
me  to  propose  the  young  gentlewoman's 
health,  whoever  she  may  be.  You  have  not 
yet  favored  me  with  her  name,"  he  added  when 
the  glasses  had  been  emptied. 

"  Her  name  is  Jacqueline  Alton,"  responded 
the  young  man.  "  I  think  you  will  agree  with 
me  that  she  is  a  gentlewoman  worthy  to  be 
come  the  wife  of  any  man  in  Carolina." 

"  You  mean  of  course,  though  you  are  too 
polite  to  say  so,  that  even  so  malignant  an  old 
cynic  as  you  take  me  to  be,  could  find  nothing 
in  Mistress  Jacqueline  Alton  to  criticise.  Par 
don  me,"  seeing  that  his  nephew  was  about  to 
interrupt,  "  do  not  protest,  please.  My  temper 
does  not  easily  brook  contradiction,  even  when 
it  is  meant  to  be  polite.  I  do  not  happen  to 
know  the  young  gentlewoman  you  mention,  in 
any  personal  way  at  least,  and,  therefore,  it 
would  be  unreasonable  presumption  on  my  part 
to  find  fault  with  her.  I  have  no  doubt  that  she 
has  all  the  virtues  in  the  calendar,  and  quite  all 
the  charms  that  you  most  admire  in  women. 

179 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

But,  as  you  know,  it  has  been  many  years  since 
I  visited  Geoffrey  Alton,  and  naturally  I  know 
nothing  of  his  daughter.  Nevertheless,  as  I  say, 
I  have  no  doubt  that  the  young  lady  is  quite  all 
that  your  imagination  paints  her.  If  so,  I  am 
so  much  the  more  pleased  with  your  tidings  that 
you  are  in  love  with  her.  I  have  from  the  first 
intended  that  you  should  come  to  that  state  of 
mind.  It  was  to  bring  that  about,  far  more 
than  to  give  you  the  advantage  of  instruction 
at  the  hands  of  a  notably  accomplished  tutor, 
that  I  sent  you  as  a  boy  to  Alton  House  for 
tuition.  I  wished  you  to  grow  up  in  that  in 
timate  boy  and  girl  association  with  this  very 
young  lady,  which  so  certainly  leads  to  love 
when  both  its  victims — pardon  me,  I  mean 
both  parties  to  the  arrangement — grow  up. 
Understanding  this,  you  will  understand  that 
the  tidings  you  bring  me  of  the  accomplish 
ment  of  my  long  cherished  purpose,  gives  me 
the  very  greatest  pleasure." 

The  young  man  was  astonished  to  the  verge 
of  speechlessness.  But  he  managed  to  gasp  out 
his  thanks  and  to  say: 

"  Then,  uncle,  you  will  not  object,  as  I  feared 
you  might,  to  standing  for  me  in  this  matter? 
As  the  head  of  our  family,  you  will  ask  Col. 
Alton  for  Jacqueline's  hand  for  me  ?  " 

I  80 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  I  regret  to  see  that  you  jump  too  readily 
at  conclusions.  I  have  been  at  lifelong  enmity 
with  Geoffrey  Alton,  and  I  cannot  now  go  to 
him,  craving  a  favor.  But  I  will  this  day 
write  him  a  letter.  I  will  send  it  by  a  trusty 
servant,  so  that  he  shall  receive  it  to-night  or, 
early  in  the  morning, — it  is  only  a  matter  of 
twenty  odd  miles  to  Alton  House.  After  to 
morrow — after  to-morrow,  mind  you — you 
will  be  free,  with  my  full  permission  to  go  to 
him  and  yourself  ask  him  for  his  daughter's 
hand.  Now,  we  will  drink  again  to  the  young 
gentlewoman,  and  then  I  must  ask  you  to  leave 
me.  You  know  I  invite  no  one  to  dinner, 
and  besides,  I  have  a  letter  to  write  in  your 
behalf." 

He  rilled  the  glasses,  and,  standing,  proposed 
the  toast — "  To  the  young  woman  in  the  case !  " 
But  he  added  nothing  of  good  wishes  for  her. 
and  the  moment  he  set  his  glass  down,  he  rap 
ped  violently  for  the  servant  and  commanded : 
"  Bring  this  gentleman's  horse  to  the  door." 
Then,  by  way  of  adieu,  he  seated  himself  at 
the  table,  poured  a  glass  of  brandy  for  himself, 
held  it  up  to  the  light,  and  making  a  slight  in 
clination  toward  his  nephew,  said,  "  I  drink  to 
your  next  visit  to  your  always  affectionate 
uncle." 

181 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

The  young  man  mounted  without  recogniz 
ing  either  the  seeming  courtesy  or  the  insult 
that  it  so  thinly  veiled.  He  rode  away  with 
his  brain  in  a  whirl  of  bewilderment.  He  had 
expected  his  uncle  to  fall  into  a  rage  at  the 
announcement  of  his  wish  to  marry  Jacqueline 
Alton,  and  he  had  half  unconsciously  kept  his 
fist  doubled,  ready  to  knock  the  old  reprobate 
down  the  moment  he  should  say  any  of  the 
insulting  things  about  Jacqueline  which  he  ex 
pected  him  to  say.  But  the  older  man  had  said 
none  of  them.  On  the  contrary,  he  had  pro 
fessed  delight  in  the  fact  that  his  nephew  had 
fallen  in  love  with  the  girl.  And  yet,  and  yet, 
and  yet.  From  beginning  to  end  of  the  con 
versation,  the  man's  tone  had  been  strongly 
marked  with  a  contempt  that  might  mean  any 
conceivable  or  inconceivable  malice. 

"  I  wonder  what  he  is  going  to  put  into  that 
letter !  "  was  the  youth's  final  reflection  as  he 
rode  out  of  his  uncle's  domain  and  into  the 
public  highway.  "  Well,  at  any  rate  he  cannot 
now  claim  the  right  to  interfere  with  my  affairs. 
I  have  paid  him  the  utmost  tittle  of  my  debt  of 
deference,  and  he  has  himself  bidden  me  go  to 
Alton  House  on  the  day  after  to-morrow 
and  ask  Col.  Alton  for  Jacqueline's  hand.  Go 
ing  as  I  shall,  with  such  a  commission  from  the 

182 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

head  of  my  house,  even  Jacqueline's  scruples 
can  find  no  occasion  for  objecting  to  our  en 
gagement. 

"  But  I  wonder  what  the  old  Tiger  will  put 
into  that  letter !  " 


'83 


XIII 

TIGER  BILL'S  letter 

THE  moment  Charles  Barnegal  took 
his  leave,  Tiger  Bill  rapped  for  the 
servant,  and  when  he  came,  said  to 
him : 

"  Empty  the  brandy  from  that  decanter.  No, 
no,"  seeing  the  servant  entering  the  house, 
"  empty  it  on  the  ground.  Now  send  the  de 
canter  to  be  washed,  and  bring  me  another, 
with  a  clean  glass."  With  that  he  seized  the 
two  glasses  that  .had  been  used,  and  dashed  them 
violently  against  the  foot  of  an  iron  drain 
pipe,  breaking  them  to  bits.  Then  he  ordered 
writing  materials,  and  when  they  came  he 
set  himself  down  to  write  the  letter  of  his  life. 

This  is  what  he  wrote : 

"  THE  LIVE  OAKS,  igth  February,  1779. 

"  COL.  GEOFFREY  ALTON  : 

"Alton  House, 
"  Sir: 

"  You  may  or  may  not  be  surprised  at  the  receipt  of 
this  letter  from  me,  or  you  may  be  annoyed,  or  you 

184 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

may  be  neither.  I  do  not  in  the  least  care  with  what 
emotion  you  receive  it.  It  is  at  any  rate  with  joy  and 
gladness  that  I  am  writing  it. 

"  My  nephew  Charles  Barnegal,  this  day  announced 
to  me  the  fact  that  he  loves  your  daughter.  He  came 
to  me  to  ask  that  I,  as  the  head  of  what  remains  of  the 
Barnegal  family,  should  go  to  you  with  a  request  for  the 
hand  of  your  daughter  as  his  wife.  I  have  declined  to 
do  so.  I  have  told  him,  however,  that  I  would  write  and 
send  this  letter,  and  that  after  its  delivery  he  might  go 
to  you  in  his  own  proper  person  and  prefer  his  suit. 
He  will  do  so  at  once,  without  doubt,  and  you  will 
understand  that  he  does  so  with  my  full  consent.  So 
far  as  he  is  concerned,  I  fully  and  finally  abdicate  all 
right,  title  and  interest  in  the  headship  of  my  family. 

"  But  before  you  give  your  consent  to  this  alliance, 
perhaps  you  will  hear  a  little  history,  which,  ex 
cept  for  this  communication  to  you,  I  shall  keep 
to  myself,  as  I  have  hitherto  done,  unless  this  mar 
riage  takes  place.  In  that  event  I  shall  instantly  make 
it  public,  although  it  will  bring  a  sore  dishonor  upon  my 
house  and  name.  I  have  but  a  few  years  to  live  before 
the  inordinate  brandy-drinking  in  which  I  habitually 
indulge  shall  make  an  end  of  me,  and,  as  you  know,  I 
have  no  children  to  inherit  my  name.  As  for  my 
nephew,  I  would  gladly  leave  to  him  and  his  descendants 
a  heritage  of  shame  if  I  might  do  so  without  blackening 
the  reputation  of  my  own  house.  As  it  is,  I  prefer  to 
keep  to  myself  the  facts  that  I  am  about  to  relate  to  you, 
and  I  shall  do  so  unless  you  compel  me  to  make  them 
public  by  permitting  your  daughter  to  become  the  wife 
of  my  nephew.  In  that  event  what  I  now  write  to  you 
will  be  published  broadcast  throughout  South  Carolina. 

"  More  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  I  loved  a 
woman  with  all  that  was  best  in  my  nature.  You  took 
her  away  from  me  and  made  her  your  wife.  You  were 


'85 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

a  more  attractive  man  than  I  was,  in  the  eyes  of  women. 
You  were  tall,  strong  and  unusually  handsome.  I  was 
rather  under  the  middle  height  and  my  hair  was  a  brick 
dust  red.  You  had  received  your  education  abroad  and 
had  traveled  extensively  in  Europe — a  fact  that  made 
you  an  interesting  personage  in  every  drawing  room.  I 
had  no  education  except  such  as  a  Carolina  schoolmaster 
could  give  me,  and  I  had  been  nowhere  out  of  the  colony. 
You  were  familiar  with  shelvesful  of  learned  books  of 
which  I  did  not  know  even  the  titles.  More  important 
still,  you  had  won  special  honor  by  your  deeds  of  daring 
in  the  Indian  wars.  In  brief  you  had  every  advantage 
of  me  in  the  wooing  of  a  woman  whom  we  both  loved, 
and  you  made  full  use  of  your  advantage.  When  you  mar 
ried  Jacqueline  De  Saussure,  after  whom  I  learn  that 
your  daughter  is  named,  I  became  your  enemy.  I  hated 
you  with  all  the  intensity  of  a  nature  which  you  doubt 
less  would  call  weak,  but  concerning  which  I  entertain 
an  opposite  opinion.  I  have  so  hated  you  ever  since 
and  I  still  hate  you  with  unabated  fervor.  I  mention 
this,  lest  you  misconstrue  my  mood. 

"  But  when  the  woman  I  loved  became  your  wife,  I 
sought  to  forget  her.  I  went  abroad  with  my  brother,  a 
chronic  wanderer,  and  in  France  particularly  I  sought 
forgetfulness  in  dissipations  to  which  my  brother  intro 
duced  me.  In  Paris  I  met  and  instantly  loved  Marie 
Gamier,  the  French  woman  who  afterwards  became  my 
brother's  wife  and  the  mother  of  my  nephew  Charles 
Barnegal.  My  brother  stole  her  from  me  by  his  superior 
fascinations  just  as  you  had  before  stolen  Jacqueline 
De  Saussure.  To  him  French  was  as  a  mother  tongue. 
To  me  it  was  a  blinder  riddle  than  a  problem  in  Euclid. 
He  was  handsome — as  you  were.  He  was  glib  of 
tongue  and  possessed  of  a  certain  sparkling  intelligence 
that  charmed  men  and  women  alike.  He  was  full  of 
wit  and  self-possession,  while  I  was  awkward,  easily 

186 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

embarrassed  and  painfully  self-conscious.  What  chance 
had  I  against  such  a  rival  ?  He  asked  for  Marie  Gar- 
nier's  hand  and,  highly  connected  as  she  was,  his  suit 
was  successful.  He  married  her  and  brought  her  to 
Carolina,  the  more  to  wound  and  affront  me.  Her  for 
tune  was  large,  and  with  it  he  added  to  his  estates  until 
mine  shrank  into  insignificance  in  comparison.  He  and 
the  French  woman  became  social  leaders  in  the  colony, 
while  I  retired  to  my  plantation  and  my  brandy  bottle. 
I  ought  to  have  killed  him,  as  I  ought  to  have  killed 
you.  But  I  did  neither.  It  was  weakness  on  my  part. 

"  It  was  not  until  after  the  death  of  both  my  brother 
and  the  French  woman  that  I  learned  the  facts  I  am 
about  to  relate.  Had  I  known  them  sooner,  I  should 
have  wreaked  an  exquisite  revenge  upon  both  by  pub 
lishing  the  fact  that  the  French  woman  was  never  my 
brother's  wife.  She  lived  and  died  in  the  belief  that  she 
was  a  married  woman,  entitled  to  carry  a  high  head  in 
Carolina.  But  that  was  only  because  I  did  not  know 
what  I  afterwards  learned.  For  I  hated  that  French 
woman  more  even  than  I  hate  you.  The  fact  to  which 
I  refer,  was  that  my  brother  was  already  married  when 
he  took  the  French  woman  to  be  his  wife.  In  the  course 
of  his  wanderings  he  had  drifted  to  Madrid  and  there 
married  a  woman  immeasurably  beneath  him  socially 
and  intellectually,  a  woman  beautiful,  but  ignorant, 
coarse  and  dissolute — a  woman  who  did  not  know  who 
her  father  was.  After  a  brief  time  the  woman  left  my 
brother  or  he  left  her — I  do  not  know  which  and  it  does 
not  matter.  He  returned  to  Paris  and  there,  a  year 
or  two  later  married  Marie  Gamier  as  I  have  related. 

"  When  I  learned  these  facts  after  the  death  of  my 
brother  and  his  French  woman,  I  planned  to  make  their 
son,  my  nephew,  the  victim  of  an  exquisite  revenge 
which  now  nears  its  completion.  I  secured  an  appoint 
ment,  as  next  of  kin,  to  be  guardian  to  the  French  worn- 


187 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

an's  baseborn  child.  I  sent  him  to  your  house  to  be 
tutored  in  company  with  your  children,  in  order  that  he 
might  grow  up  in  intimacy  with  them  and  at  last  fall  in 
love,  as  the  phrase  is,  with  your  daughter.  He  has  ful 
filled  his  part  of  my  purpose,  and  now  my  opportunity 
has  come.  I  have  told  you  that  he  is  a  man  born  out 
of  wedlock.  That  is  a  crime  that  the  society  of  Caro 
lina  never  forgives.  If  I  could  do  so  without  bringing 
shame  upon  my  own  name,  I  should  blast  my  nephew's 
life  once  for  all  by  making  the  truth  everywhere  known. 
As  it  is  I  prefer  simply  to  tell  it  to  you.  That  will  an 
swer  my  purpose  quite  as  well.  Knowing  the  facts  you 
cannot  permit  your  daughter  to  marry  Charles  Barnegal, 
for  then  your  grandchildren  would  be  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  a  son  of  nobody,  and  the  fact  of  their  ille 
gitimate  origin  would  be  perfectly  known  to  every  man 
and  woman  in  Carolina.  I  should  take  care  of  that. 
But  there  will  be  no  occasion  for  such  activity  on  my 
part.  You  are  not  the  man  willingly  to  add  a  bar  sinis 
ter  to  your  family's  escutcheon,  and  when  you  repulse 
the  young  man's  suit  for  such  a  cause,  I  shall  be  re 
venged  upon  the  dead  in  the  person  of  their  son. 

"  You  will  wonder  perhaps  that  I  did  not  assert  the 
young  man's  illegitimacy  long  ago  in  proceedings  to 
oust  him  from  his  inheritance ;  or  rather  you  will  not 
wonder,  seeing  that  in  that  way  I  must  have  put  a 
stain  upon  my  own  name — a  thing  that  I  have  resolutely 
refused  to  do  and  shall  refuse  unless  the  impossible 
should  come  to  pass  in  the  marriage  of  your  daughter  to 
the  French  woman's  son. 

"You  are  at  full  liberty  sir,  to  exhibit  this  letter  to 
the  young  man  as  explaining  your  rejection  of  his  suit, 
if  it  pleases  you  to  do  so.  I  shall  send  this  by  a  trusty 
servant,  in  order  that  it  may  reach  you  to-night  or  early 
to-morrow.  But  I  have  arranged  that  you  shall  have 
full  four  and  twenty  hours  in  which  to  meditate  upon 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

the  matter  before  meeting  the  young  man  who  calls  him 
self  Charles  Barnegal. 
"  I  am  sir,  with  unabated  dislike, 
"  Your  enemv. 

"  WILLIAM  BARNEGAL." 


189 


XIV 

A  stirrup  CUP 

riGER  BILL'S  letter  was  delivered 
into  Colonel  Alton's  hands  about 
midnight  while  that  gentleman  was 
preparing  himself  for  bed.  It  naturally  pro 
duced  a  great  deal  of  agitation  in  his  mind. 
His  first  thought  was  to  send  for  Colonel 
Marion  and  send  a  challenge  to  the  writer  of 
the  insulting  missive ;  but  upon  reading  it  over 
and  over  again,  he  saw  clearly  that  there 
was  nothing  in  it  to  which  he  could  prop 
erly  take  exception.  There  was  to  him  per 
sonally  no  insult,  and  no  affront  except  that 
Tiger  Bill  had  declared  a  hatred  for  him  of 
which  he  was  already  fully  aware. 

After  walking  the  floor  for  half  the  night, 
his  mind  became  clear  as  to  his  duty.  He  saw 
that  he  must  show  the  letter  in  its  entirety  to 
young  Barnegal  whenever  that  young  gentle 
man  should  come  to  Alton  House.  Beyond 
that  he  could  do  nothing. 

190 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Col.  Alton  got  very  little  sleep  that  night,  and 
in  the  morning  he  was  unable  to  leave  his  bed. 
He  sent  a  message  through  his  son,  ex 
cusing  himself  to  his  guests,  and  asking  the 
younger  man  to  preside  in  his  stead  at  break 
fast.  After  her  custom,  Jacqueline  attended 
upon  her  father  during  the  day  so  far  as  he 
would  permit.  But  otherwise,  no  member  of 
the  family  saw  him  until  the  following  morn 
ing. 

About  noon  of  that  second  day,  young  Bar- 
negal  appeared,  and  asked  for  an  interview  in 
private  with  Colonel  Alton.  The  two  were 
closeted  for  an  hour  or  more  in  the  library,  and 
when  Barnegal  reappeared,  he  was  pale  and 
haggard  like  one  who  had  gone  through  long 
illness.  He  did  not  ask  for  Jacqueline,  but 
sought  out  Roger  instead.  To  him  he  said : 

"  Roger,  old  comrade,  I  am  going  away.  I 
do  not  know  when  I  shall  return;  indeed,  I 
don't  know  that  I  shall  ever  return.  I  have 
first  a  duty  to  perform,  however,  in  which,  if 
mine  enemy  were  other  than  he  is,  I  should 
ask  you  to  act  for  me." 

"  Your  enemy  is  your  uncle  ?  Against  him  I 
will  act  for  you  with  great  cheerfulness.  Will 
you  write  to  him  now,  or  shall  I  join  you  at 
your  own  house  ?  " 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  I  will  write  to  him  now,  but  not  here — 
not  from  this  house — let  us  go  to  the  nearest 
tavern." 

The  young  man  spoke  with  difficulty,  like 
one  choking  with  rage.  He  seemed  to  force  out 
his  words,  and  he  spoke  as  few  of  them  as  pos 
sible,  so  that  during  the  ride  almost  nothing 
was  said. 

Arrived  at  the  tavern  young  Barnegal  sat 
down  and  wrote  as  follows : 

"  To  WILLIAM  BARNEGAL, 

"  At  The  Live  Oaks. 

"  SIR  :  In  a  letter  to  Colonel  Alton,  which  that  gen 
tleman  has  shown  to  me  in  accordance  with  your  per 
mission,  you  have  slandered  the  memory  of  my  dead 
mother.  I  need  say  nothing  further  to  justify  this  note, 
which  is  written  to  demand  of  you  the  satisfaction  I  have 
a  right  to  exact. 

"  My  friend,  Mr.  Roger  Alton,  will  bear  this  missive 
for  me,  and  if  you  will  refer  him  to  the  person  whom 
you  may  select  to  act  for  you,  the  details  of  our  meeting 
can  be  arranged  without  loss  of  time. 

"  Awaiting  your  answer  through  Mr.  Alton,  I  am,  Sir, 

"  CHARLES  BARNEGAL." 

Roger   took   the  note   but   before   leaving, 
turned  to  young  Barnegal  and  said : 
"Charlie,  old  boy,  is  this  necessary?" 
"  Absolutely.      No    power   on    earth    could 
change  my  purpose.    It  could  not  be  changed, 

192 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

indeed,  unless  I  were  a  coward  and  a  sneak, 
unworthy  to  bear  the  name  I  do,  or  any  other 
name  that  is  respected  among  men.  Go !  " 

That  was  all.  Roger  mounted  his  horse  and 
rode  away  rapidly.  Two  hours  later  he  rode  up 
to  the  piazza  of  The  Live  Oaks  where  the  elder 
Barnegal  was  sitting  as  before  over  his  brandy 
bottle.  He  did  not  arise  to  receive  his  guest  or 
even  bid  him  dismount.  He  simply  said: 

"  What  do  you  want,  sir  ?  " 

Roger  flushed  at  the  discourtesy,  but  put  it 
aside  in  behalf  of  more  serious  matters. 

"  I  bear  this  note  to  you,  sir,"  he  answered. 

"  From  whom  does  it  come,  may  I  ask  ?  " 

"  From  your  nephew,  sir." 

"  Nephew?  I  have  no  nephew.  The  young 
man  who  claims  to  be  such — well,  never  mind. 
I  decline  to  recognize  the  existence  of  a 
nephew." 

"  Very  well,  then,"  said  Roger.  "  Have  it 
as  you  will.  It  comes  from  Charles  Barnegal, 
and  I  am  instructed  to  deliver  it  into  your 
hands,  or  to  any  friend  whom  you  may  choose 
to  act  for  you.  In  brief,  sir,  it  is  a  challenge  to 
mortal  combat." 

The  old  man,  still  without  rising,  rapped 
with  his  riding  whip  upon  the  table,  and  upon 
the  servant's  appearance  bade  him  bring  pen, 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

ink  and  paper.  Upon  reflection  he  determined,, 
however,  not  to  write,  but  to  emphasize  the  in 
sulting  character  of  his  reply  by  sending  it 
verbally. 

"  You  can  say  to  the  young  man,"  he  said  to 
Roger,  "  that  I  really  cannot  consent  to  recog 
nize  him  as  a  gentleman  by  meeting  him  in  per 
sonal  warfare.  There  are  reasons  with  which 
he  is  now  familiar,  and  which  he  may  possibly 
choose  to  confide  to  you  but  which  I  must  not, 
— there  are  reasons,  I  say,  why  I  cannot  regard 
him  as  a  gentleman,  or  a  person  in  any  way  en 
titled  to  address  a  gentleman.  Say  that,  please, 
and  now  good-morning." 

Roger's  strong  impulse  was  to  slap  the  old 
fellow's  jaws.  He  controlled  himself,  however, 
and  said : 

"  Whatever  your  opinion  may  be  of  Mr. 
Charles  Barnegal,  or  of  his  standing  in  the  com 
munity,  I  at  least  am  known  to  you  as  a  man  en 
titled  to  be  treated  with  ordinary  courtesy.  I  de 
cline,  sir,  to  carry  a  verbal  message  from  you  to 
anybody.  If  you  refuse  to  receive  the  note  which 
I  bear,  and  to  answer  it  in  writing,  I  shall  my 
self  take  measures  to  avenge  the  insult  you  are 
trying  to  put  upon  me,  and  I  assure  you,  sir, 
that  in  such  case  you  will  have  to  meet  me 
whether  you  wish  to  do  so  or  not." 

194 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

The  menace  was  effective.  The  old  man 
turned  to  his  writing  materials  and  wrote  sub 
stantially  what  he  had  said  verbally,  addressed 
it  and  handed  it  to  Roger,  having  first  opened 
and  spread  out  upon  his  table  the  challenge 
which  that  young  man  had  brought  to  him. 

When  young  Barnegal  opened  his  uncle's 
note,  he  handed  it  to  Roger  to  read. 

"  There !  "  he  said.  "  I  cannot  tell  you, 
though  I  perfectly  know  what  he  means  when 
he  says  that  I  am  not  entitled  to  rank  as  a  gen 
tleman,  or  to  address  a  challenge  to  a  gentle 
man.  I  perfectly  understand  his  excuse  for  re 
fusing  to  meet  me.  I  shall  have  no  further  use 
for  your  services  in  this  matter,  Roger.  My 
uncle  refuses  to  accept  a  challenge  at  my  hands. 
I  have  no  need  of  a  second  in  what  I  am  going 
to  do." 

Roger  saw  that  there  was  no  use  in  remon 
strating.  All  that  is  demoniacal  in  human  na 
ture  had  been  aroused  in  the  young  man's  soul. 
Roger  did  not  need  to  ask  questions  in  order  to 
learn  what  his  friend's  purpose  was,  but  he  de 
termined  instantly  to  ride  with  him.  Young 
Barnegal  objected,  saying  "  It  will  compromise 
you,  Roger.  I  am  going  to  do  something  for 
which  I  cannot  offer  to  the  public  any  excuse 
whatever.  Unfortunately,  I  cannot  even  state 

195 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

to  any  human  being  the  nature  of  the  affront 
this  man  has  put  upon  me.  I  cannot  tell  you 
the  wrong  he  has  done  to  the  mother  who  bore 
me.  I  cannot  tell  you  my  reason  for  seeking 
revenge,  but  revenge  I  will  have  if  I  have  to 
follow  him  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Go  home, 
Roger,  let  me  go  alone." 

Roger  said  nothing  in  the  way  of  remon 
strance,  but  at  any  rate  he  adhered  to  his  pur 
pose  of  going  with  his  friend. 

He  said :  "  I  will  go  with  you,  Charlie, 
whether  you  ask  me  or  not.  Whether  you  even 
permit  it  or  not  I  am  going  with  you." 

And  so  they  set  out  in  silence  on  the  return 
trip  to  The  Live  Oaks.  They  arrived  there  just 
before  sunset.  Young  Barnegal  leapt  off  his 
horse,  and  with  his  heavy  riding  whip  in  hand, 
approached  his  uncle  who  still  sat  in  the  piazza. 
Before  the  old  man  could  even  rise,  he  lashed 
him  as  one  might  lash  a  disobedient  hound. 
Roger  called  to  him  presently. 

"  You  have  done  enough,  Charlie,  you  have 
done  enough!  Control  yourself." 

The  young  man  paused,  while  the  elder 
writhed  in  agony  from  the  blows  he  had  re 
ceived  across  the  face. 

"  I  have  not  done  enough  until  he  goes  down 
upon  his  knees  and  begs  my  pardon  for  his 

196 


The  Inteiriew  with  Tiger  BUI. 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

insults  to  my  mother's  memory.  Down  on 
your  knees,  sir,  down  on  your  knees ! "  And 
with  that  he  lashed  him  again  and  again.  It 
was  only  when  Roger  dragged  the  impassioned 
youth  away  by  force  that  he  desisted. 

The  old  man  was  by  this  time  beyond  the 
power  of  kneeling  or  apologizing  or  retracting 
or  doing  anything  else.  He  had  collapsed  com 
pletely  and  lost  consciousness.  Roger  rapped 
upon  the  table  for  the  servant  and  said  to 
him: 

"  Attend  to  your  master — he  is  injured. 
Come,  Charlie." 

They  mounted  their  horses  and  rode  away. 

Roger  took  young  Barnegal  back  with  him  to 
Alton  House,  because  he  feared  to  leave  him  in 
his  present  mood.  It  was  after  midnight  when 
they  arrived  there,  and  Roger  succeeded  in 
getting  his  friend  into  bed.  He  was  already  in 
a  fever. 

In  the  meantime,  Colonel  Alton  had  sent  for 
Jacqueline,  and  very  tenderly  and  affectionately 
had  told  her  simply  this  much — that  Charles 
Barnegal  had  come  to  him  asking  for  her  hand ; 
that  he  had  previously  received  a  letter  from 
the  young  man's  uncle,  which,  if  its  state 
ments  were  true,  rendered  the  marriage  in  ques 
tion  utterly  impossible.  He  said  to  her  further : 

197 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  I  have  Charles's  permission  to  tell  you  the 
facts  that  thus  interfere  with  your  life  and  his, 
if  you  choose  to  hear  them.  My  own  prefer 
ence  would  be  that  you  should  not  know  them 
at  all.  Think  it  over,  daughter,  before  you  an 
swer  me,  and  I  will  do  as  you  say  in  the 
matter." 

"  I  do  not  need  to  think  it  over,  father.  I 
do  not  wish  to  hear  any  statement  of  the  facts 
whatever.  I  am  Jacqueline  Alton — bear  that  in 
mind — and  no  daughter  of  Alton  House  has 
ever  yet  entered  a  family  without  the  consent 
of  its  head.  I  will  not  be  the  first  to  violate 
a  tradition  of  our  house.  But  please,  father,  let 
no  one  speak  to  me  of  this.  Let  it  end  here.  I 
will  bear  myself  bravely  as  your  daughter 
should." 

She  kissed  him,  and  in  a  moment  more  was 
gone. 

It  was  a  week  before  young  Barnegal  re 
covered  from  his  illness.  As  soon  as  he  was 
able  to  sit  up  he  insisted  upon  leaving  the 
house. 

"  My  presence  here,"  he  explained  to  Roger, 
"  must  of  necessity  be  distressing  to  Jacqueline. 
If  you  will  let  Marlborough  ride  with  me  for 
this  one  day  I  will  go  this  morning." 

Roger  pleaded  for  the  privilege  of  himself 

108 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

accompanying  his  friend  to  his  home,  but  the 
young  man  stoutly  and  steadily  refused. 

"  No,"  he  said.  "  I  am  not  going  to  remain 
at  home.  I  am  going  away.  I  am  going  to  the 
northward.  There  is  fighting  to  be  done  there, 
and  enemies  who  do  not  refuse  to  meet  one 
who  comes  armed.  We  must  say  good-by  to 
day." 

"  Be  it  as  you  will,  Charlie,"  said  Roger, 
"  but  first  we  will  drink  a  stirrup  cup." 

He  passed  into  the  house,  poured  a  rich  gob 
let  full  of  richer  wine,  and,  standing  by  the 
side  of  Barnegal's  horse,  after  he  had  mounted, 
gave  him  to  drink  of  it.  Barnegal  passed  the 
cup  in  turn  to  Roger,  who,  holding  his  friend's 
stirrup,  drained  the  goblet  and  dashed  it  upon 
the  stile  shattering  it  to  bits,  in  order  that  no 
human  lips  might  ever  again  touch  it. 

It  was  an  old  custom,  long  disused  except 
upon  the  occasion  of  partings  that  involved 
more  than  ordinary  emotion. 


199 


XV 


IN  which  ROGER  ALTON  LOSES  his  TEMPER 


JT  7"^"HAT  or  how  much  Jacqueline  Al- 
t/l/  ton  suffered  in  consequence  of  the 

*  '  events   related   in    the  preceding 

chapters,  her  friends  were  left  to  guess  for 
themselves.  That  she  should  suffer  severely 
was  inevitable.  She  was  much  too  true  a 
woman  to  have  given  her  love  in  a  half-hearted 
way  to  any  man,  and  the  blow  which  had  so 
stunned  Barnegal  must  have  been  a  terrible 
one  to  her  —  a  woman  without  a  man's  resource 
of  participation  in  the  troubled  life  of  the 
time. 

But  if  she  suffered  she  made  no  sign.  Her 
face  grew  grave  as  the  old  joyousness  died  out 
of  it.  Her  color,  which  had  never  been  strong, 
faded  away  altogether;  but  her  step  was  still 
elastic  and  her  voice  as  cheerful  as  ever.  She 
devoted  herself  with  her  customary  earnestness 
to  her  varied  duties.  The  blood  of  a  proud 
race  flowed  in  her  veins,  and  she  bore  herself  as 

200 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

a  proud  woman,  the  daughter  of  such  a  house, 
should. 

The  servants  saw  nothing  unusual  in  her  ap 
pearance  or  manner.  Visitors  marked  no 
change.  Her  very  maid  who  had  attended  her 
in  the  solitude  of  her  own  chamber  all  the  days 
of  her  life,  guessed  nothing  of  her  mistress's 
sorrow.  Somewhat  later  she  was  puzzled  over 
the  fact  that  "Miss  Jack  "  began  to  lock  her 
door  whenever  she  quitted  her  room.  This 
was  a  mystery  to  everyone,  but  it  had  no  ap 
parent  connection  with  the  events  that  preceded 
its  beginning.  In  brie£,  the  young  woman  bore 
herself  in  a  most  exemplary  and  gentlewomanly 
way,  which  was  precisely  what  those  who  knew 
her  had  reason  to  expect  at  her  hands. 

Roger  alone  ever  spoke  to  her  on  the  subject 
that  so  distressed  her,  and  he  did  so  but  once. 
It  was  several  days  after  her  interview  with  her 
father  that  Roger  said  to  her : 

"  Jack,  dear,  I  have  some  messages  for  you 
which  I  am  charged  to  deliver,  if  you  wish  to 
receive  them.  They  are  messages  explanatory 
in  a  way  of  what  has  occurred,  yet  they  do  not 
fully  explain." 

His  sister  at  this  point  interrupted  him, 
speaking  quickly : 

"  Let's  dismiss  this  whole  subject,  brother. 

2OI 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

You  can  readily  believe  that  it  is  not  a  pleasant 
one  to  me.  I  need  no  explanations,  and  I  want 
none.  I  am  content  to  trust  the  wisdom  which 
prompts  my  father  and  Charles  to  agree  in  this 
matter.  I  do  not  wish  to  know  the  details.  I 
have  but  one  favor  to  ask,  and  that  is,  that  no 
body  shall  know  there  ever  was  any  engage 
ment  to  break  in  the  case.  I  do  not  need  the 
sympathy  of  people  outside  the  house,  and 
Jacqueline  Alton  is  not  a  person  to  be  pitied  by 
anybody." 

Roger  kissed  her  brow  tenderly  by  way  of 
reply,  and  the  subject  was  henceforth  a  forbid 
den  one  in  the  house. 

Some  weeks  later,  Roger  sat  in  the  library 
discussing  with  his  father  matters  connected 
with  the  business  of  the  great  estate  with  which 
Colonel  Alton  desired  that  his  son  should  be 
familiar,  so  that  in  the  event  of  his  own  death 
the  young  man  might  be  prepared  to  succeed 
him  in  the  management  of  affairs. 

It  was  now  April,  and  Roger,  who  had  been 
busy  since  his  return  in  organizing  and  drilling 
the  militia  of  his  district,  had  just  received  the 
following  note  from  Governor  Rutledge. 

"  CHARLES  TOWN,  April  8,  1779. 
"  MY  DEAR  SIR  : 

"  I  have  private  information  of  contemplated  military 
operations  which  in  my  judgment  are  likely  to  result  in 

202 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

the  immediate  invasion  of  this  state.  I  beg  you,  there 
fore,  to  hasten  the  work  of  organization  in  your  district, 
if  it  be  not  already  complete.  I  shall  probably  desire 
your  presence  at  my  headquarters  shortly,  and  will  thank 
you  to  hold  yourself  in  readiness  to  join  me  at  a  mo 
ment's  warning. 

"  With  much  esteem,  I  beg  to  subscribe  myself,  Sir, 
"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"JOHN   RUTLEDGE, 

"Governor  and  Commander-in-Chief. 
"  To  ROGER  ALTON,  Esq., 

"  Captain  and  A.  D.  C." 

It  was  in  view  of  Roger's  probable  departure 
within  a  day  or  two  that  the  present  conversa 
tion  was  held.  The  business  had  been  finished 
and  Roger  was  re-arranging  the  papers,  when 
Jacqueline  tapped  at  the  library  door  and  enter 
ing,  said: 

"  I  have  something  to  say  to  you,  fatHer,  if 
you  are  at  leisure  to  hear  me." 

"  Certainly,  my  daughter,"  replied  the  old 
gentleman,  placing  an  easy  chair  for  her  use  in 
front  of  his  own. 

"  Allow  me  to  replace  these  papers,"  said 
Roger,  "  and  I  will  withdraw.  It  will  occupy 
only  a  minute  or  two." 

"  I  think  you  need  not  go,  brother,"  replied 
Jacqueline.  "  I  have  no  longer  any  secrets  to 
keep  from  you,  and,  as  I  was  obliged  to  con 
ceal  this  matter  from  you  the  other  day  when 

203 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

you  asked  me  about  it,  I  am  very  anxious  to 
have  you  hear  what  I  have  to  say  now,  though 
indeed  I  do  not  understand  it  myself." 

She  said  this  with  a  puzzled,  half-bewildered 
look  upon  her  face.  Roger  bantered  her  a  lit 
tle  upon  her  new  role  of  mystery-monger,  at 
which  she  smiled  and  replied : 

"  At  least  this  mystery — for  it  is  a  mystery 
to  me — is  not  of  my  making  or  my  seeking." 
Then  turning  to  her  father  she  continued : 

"  About  ten  days  ago,  as  I  was  returning 
from  my  visit  to  the  sick  people  at  the  lower 
quarters  *  a  man  came  out  of  the  thicket  and 
met  me  at  the  big  gate.  I  was  not  alarmed 
when  he  accosted  me,  as  the  gate  was  shut 
between  us,  and  the  quarters  were  so  near — 
just  out  of  sight  behind  the  grove — that  Dolly 
would  have  taken  me  there  in  half  a  minute,  if 
the  man  had  seemed  disposed  to  be  rude.  He 
was  very  gentle  and  courteous,  however,  and  I 
think  he  chose  that  place  for  the  meeting  pur 
posely,  so  that  I  might  not  be  alarmed.  He 


*  "  Quarters "  in  Southern  parlance,  are  negroes' 
houses,  and  on  the  plantations  these  were  commonly 
built  in  two  villages — one  near  the  "  great  house,"  and 
the  other  at  some  distant  point.  The  "  lower  quarters  " 
of  which  Jacqueline  spoke,  were  evidently  those  consti 
tuting  the  more  distant  group. 

204 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

gave  me  no  name,  but  said  he  had  something  of 
very  great  importance  to  confide  to  my  keep 
ing,  and  that  in  giving  it  to  me  he  would  give 
me  written  instructions  concerning  it.  He 
begged  me  to  promise,  however,  that  I  would 
strictly  follow  the  directions,  assuring  me  that 
a  failure  to  do  so  might  bring  serious  trouble 
upon  him.  He  then  withdrew  his  request  for 
a  promise,  saying: 

"  No, — I  have  no  right  to  exact  that.  But 
I  beg  you  to  take  what  I  shall  give  you  to  your 
own  room  and  there  read  the  letter  which  is 
addressed  to  you.  After  you  have  read  it 
you  will  not  refuse,  I  am  sure,  to  do  what  I 
request  of  you.' 

"  With  that  he  went  into  the  bushes  and 
brought  out  a  queer  little  chest  and  a  letter,  and 
gave  them  to  me,  after  which  he  touched  his 
hat,  bowed,  and  walked  away  into  the 
swamp.  The  chest  was  singularly  heavy  for 
its  size,  but,  covering  it  with  my  riding  habit, 
I  brought  it  home,  and  in  my  own  room  opened 
and  read  the  letter.  It  is  a  queer  document, 
and  has  puzzled  me  a  good  deal.  If  you  will 
allow  me  I  will  read  it  to  you.  Singularly 
enough  it  is  painfully  wrought  out  in  printing 
letters."  And  with  that,  she  read  as  fol 
lows: 

205 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  Pray  do  not  throw  this  sheet  aside  as  an  anonymous 
letter  because  it  has  no  name  signed  at  the  bottom.  I 
have  no  name  to  sign.  I  am  a  dead  man,  a  man  who 
died  years  ago,  and  as  a  dead  man  am  unable  to  do  what 
I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  do  for  me.  I  died  with  a  duty 
unperformed,  and  I  cannot  rest  until  it  shall  be  done.  I 
have  toiled  and  suffered  that  I  might  rest  a  little,  and 
the  completion  of  my  task  I  am  placing  in  your  hands. 
The  little  chest  that  I  have  given  you  holds  that  which 
belongs  to  your  father.  It  has  cost  me  years  of  toil  and 
privation  and  suffering,  but  of  that  I  have  no  right  to 
complain.  I  speak  of  it  only  to  impress  upon  you  the 
necessity  of  guarding  the  chest  carefully  while  it  shall 
remain  in  your  possession.  Keep  it  and  keep  it  in  secret 
until  the  date  carved  upon  its  top  shall  come.  Then 
take  it  to  Geoffrey  Alton  and  give  it  to  him.  By  that 
time  I  shall  be  out  of  the  neighborhood  at  least.  If  you 
deliver  it  sooner  a  search  may  be  made  for  me,  and  if  I 
be  found,  terrible  suffering  will  ensue, — not  to  me,  for  I 
cannot  suffer  more  than  I  do, — but  to  others  who  are 
innocent,  as  I  am  not.  I  enclose  the  key  to  the  chest,  in 
this  letter." 

"Where  is  the  chest,  Jacqueline?"  asked 
Colonel  Alton  and  Roger  in  a  breath. 

"  In  my  room.  I'll  fetch  it,"  she  said.  "  The 
date  of  delivery  has  come,  and  I  shall  be  re 
lieved  to  be  rid  of  a  secret." 

When  she  returned  with  the  box  in  her 
hands,  Roger  sprang  forward  with  a  half- 
stifled  exclamation  of  surprise  and  inspected  it 
minutely. 

"What's  the  matter,  brother,"  asked  Jac- 

206 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

queline.  "  Did  you  ever  see  the  chest  be 
fore?" 

"  If  I  did,"  replied  he,  turning  away  with  a 
puzzled  look,  "  I  am  under  a  pledge  of  secrecy 
regarding  it.  But  I  am  not  sure  that  I  ever 
saw  this  box  before.  I  have  seen  one  which  it 
closely  resembles,  and  that  under  rather  peculiar 
circumstances,  but  I  am  not  free  to  tell  you 
about  it." 

"  You,  too,  cherishing  a  mysterious  secret 
about  a  mysterious  chest,"  exclaimed  Jacque 
line.  "  Really  this  is  provoking.  Here  is  a 
quiet,  honest  family  suddenly  thrown  into  a 
fog  of  mystery  which  it  can  neither  penetrate 
nor  dissipate,  and  that  by  no  fault  of  its  own, 
either." 

While  this  conversation  was  in  progress, 
Colonel  Alton  had  opened  the  chest  and  now  sat 
staring  at  its  contents.  It  held  gold  coin  and 
nothing  else.  On  the  inner  surface  of  the  lid 
was  scratched  an  interest  calculation,  and  be 
neath  it  were  traced  these  words  in  printing 
letters : 

"  Interest  not  paid  annually  compounds  an 
nually.  Count  the  contents  and  know  that  the 
debt  is  at  last  paid  to  the  uttermost  farthing. 
But  alas  the  crime  remains." 

Colonel  Alton  closed  the  box  and  placed  it 

207 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

upon  his  desk.  Then,  leaning  his  head  upon 
his  hand,  he  ejaculated  in  tones  of  heartstricken 
tenderness : 

"  My  poor,  dead  friend !  " 

Roger  and  Jacqueline  noiselessly  with 
drew. 

Colonel  Alton  evidently  knew  more  than 
either  his  son  or  his  daughter  could  guess  re 
garding  the  source  from  which  the  chest  of 
money  had  come,  but  he  made  no  reference 
whatever  to  the  subject,  and  they,  of  course, 
did  not  question  him. 

Not  many  days  later  came  a  courier  with 
orders  for  Roger  to  join  his  chief  immediately, 
and  the  young  man,  before  leaving,  sought  a 
private  conference  with  his  father. 

When  closeted,  Roger  opened  the  conversa 
tion  with  more  of  trepidation  than  he  was  ever 
likely  to  feel  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy  he 
was  so  soon  to  meet  in  the  field. 

"  I  am  afraid,  father,  that  I  have  not  acted 
altogether  as  I  should  in  postponing  this  inter 
view  so  long.  I  have  waited,  however,  in  the 
hope  that  I  should  be  able  to  go  to  Lonsdale 
again  before  telling  you  that  which,  in  strict 
propriety,  I  ought  not  to  have  been  able  to  tell 
you  at  all  until  after  a  second  visit.  But  my 
duties " 

208 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"My  boy,"  said  Colonel  Alton,  interrupting 
him  and  speaking  with  evident  emotion,  "  you 
are  not  about  to  tell  me  that  you  have  paid 
your  addresses  to  Helen  Vargave.  You  do 
not  mean  that,  I  trust !  " 

There  was  that  in  the  old  gentleman's  voice 
which  both  puzzled  and  distressed  his  son. 
His  tone  expressed  surprise  and  sorrow,  even 
to  wretchedness. 

"  I  do  not  understand  you,  father,"  said 
Roger,  "  and  your  tone  pains  me  sorely.  I 
have  addressed  Helen  Vargave,  and  she  has  in 
effect  promised  to  be  my  wife  as  soon  as  the 
troubled  condition  of  the  country  shall  have 
passed  away.  It  remains  only  to  secure  your 
consent." 

A  full  minute  or  more  elapsed  before  Colonel 
Alton  replied. 

"  I  am  deeply  grieved,  Roger,"  he  said  after 
awhile,  "  more  deeply  grieved  than  you  can  im 
agine.  This  is  indeed  a  calamity.  When  I  re 
joiced  in  your  return,  and  in  the  spirit  of  manli 
ness  which  prompted  it,  I  little  thought  that  this 
was  to  be  the  result,  else  I  should  have  mourned 
rather.  You  know  very  well  that  I  have  always 
disapproved  of  unnecessary  paternal  interfer 
ence  in  these  matters.  It  cost  me  a  struggle 
to  do  my  duty  in  Jacqueline's  case — a  struggle 

209 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

from  which  I  have  not  yet  quite  recovered — 
and  now  I  have  a  still  more  distressing  necessity 
upon  me.  In  that  case,  I  had  only  to  lay  cer 
tain  facts  before  Charles  Barnegal  which  them 
selves  forbade  the  banns.  In  this  I  must  inter 
fere  and  forbid  them  without  stating  any  facts 
whatever.  I  cannot  tell  you  why — but  you 
can  never  marry  Helen  Vargave." 

Roger  was  stunned.  There  was  no  other 
woman  in  all  Carolina,  he  had  thought,  who 
was  likely  to  prove  so  acceptable  to  Colonel 
Alton  as  a  daughter-in-law.  He  managed,  in 
spite  of  the  astonishment  which  nearly  took 
away  his  breath,  to  ask: 

"  Why,  father,  what  does  this  mean  ?  You 
cannot  mean  to  hint  that  Helen  Vargave  is  un 
worthy  to  be  the  wife  of  an  Alton  ?  " 

"  No,  no,  no,"  returned  the  other  with 
vehemence.  "  She  is  the  worthiest  young  wo 
man  I  have  any  knowledge  of,  and  that  is  what 
distresses  me  most.  If  she  were  less  worthy — 
if  I  felt  less  tenderly  regardful  of  her  than  I 
do, — it  would  pain  me  less  to  interfere.  In 
that  case  I  should  care  but  little  for  the  suffer 
ing  I  must  inflict  on  her,  and  as  for  the  pain 
given  you — why,  you  are  a  man  and  a  gentle 
man,  able  to  bear  life's  burdens  with  straight 
shoulders  and  head  erect.  It  is  for  Helen, 

2IO 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

whom  I  love  as  if  she  were  my  own  daughter, 
that  I  am  most  deeply  concerned." 

"  But,  father,"  Roger  broke  in,  "  if  you  think 
so  well  of  Helen,  what  earthly  obstacle  can 
there  be  to  this  marriage,  which  is  not  to  take 
place  in  any  case  until  the  return  of  peace  ?  Are 
not  the  Vargaves  as  good  a  family  as  our  own 
or  any  other  in  the  land,  and  is  not  her  mother 
equally  well  connected?" 

"  Undoubtedly,  and  it  was  perfectly  natural 
that  you  should  have  thought  the  connection 
altogether  excellent.  For  any  other  young 
man  in  South  Carolina,  Helen  Vargave  would 
be  a  perfectly  eligible  bride — because  no  other 
young  man's  father  knows  what  I  know.  I 
cannot  tell  you  what  that  is, — I  cannot  show 
you  why  you  may  not  marry  Helen  Vargave — 
I  can  only  tell  you  that  you  may  not  and  must 
not  and  shall  not." 

"  Am  I  to  be  dealt  with  like  a  child?  "  cried 
Roger,  with  an  indignation  which  he  could 
neither  suppress  nor  conceal.  "  Am  I  to  be 
set  guessing  a  lot  of  riddles  like  a  king's  fool? 
Am  I  to  be  put  off  with  hints  and  innuendoes 
and  mysterious  references  to  unexplained  cir 
cumstances,  instead  of  plain  facts  which  I  can 
comprehend  and  judge  for  myself?  I  will  sub 
mit  to  no  such  treatment.  I  am  a  full-grown 

211 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

man;  more  than  that,  I  am  a  gentleman,  able 
both  to  hear  and  speak  the  truth.  I  will  not  be 
treated  as  if  I  were  a  babe  in  pinafores  who 
must  be  wheedled  into  the  surrender  of  un 
wholesome  sugar  plums.  Tell  me  the  plain  facts, 
and  trust  me  to  conduct  myself  as  an  Alton 
should.  That  name  is  mine  as  well  as  yours, 
and  I  am  as  jealous  of  its  honor  as  you  are. 
I  would  not  bring  a  stain  upon  it  to  save  my  life 
— no,  not  even  to  save  your  life,  my  father — 
but  I  will  not  be  juggled  with  in  this  matter.  I 
will  have  the  whole  truth,  and  will  govern  my 
self  accordingly.  I  have  sought  Helen  Var- 
gave's  love,  and  she  has  given  it  to  me.  I 
have  pledged  my  honor  to  marry  her.  I  have 
yet  to  learn  that  any  Alton  has  ever  proved 
recreant  to  such  a  pledge,  and  I  am  not  going 
to  be  the  first  to  bring  dishonor  upon  the 
name." 

Mr.  Roger  had  wrought  himself  into  a  very 
pretty  rage,  certainly.  Indeed  he  was  fairly 
beside  himself  with  passion,  else  he  would  never 
have  used  such  language  or  such  a  tone  in  ad 
dressing  his  father.  The  young  man  expected 
— in  a  half -unconscious  way — to  be  ordered 
out  of  the  house  the  moment  he  ceased  to  speak ; 
for  the  father — gentle  as  he  was,  and  tender 
even  to  womanliness  in  his  dealings  with  his 

212 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

family, — was  of  stern  and  imperious  temper  in 
all  that  concerned  his  dignity,  and  the  respect 
due  to  him. 

A  transient  flushing  of  the  face,  however, 
was  the  only  sign  of  annoyance  he  gave  now, 
as  he  sat  there  in  absolute  silence,  while  Roger 
awaited  his  reply,  and  excitedly  paced  the  floor. 
The  silence  continued  until  it  grew  painful. 
When  at  last  the  father  broke  it,  his  voice  was 
as  gentle  as  a  woman's. 

"  Come  and  sit  down,  my  son,"  he  said, 
"  and  listen  to  me  as  calmly  as  you  can.  I 
shall  not  rebuke  your  warmth,  which  under 
the  circumstances  does  you  honor,  in  spite  of 
its  impropriety  when  manifested  by  a  son  in 
addressing  his  father." 

Roger  sat  down  abashed.  He  had  been  pre 
pared  for  an  outbreak  of  offended  dignity,  but 
this  gentle  half-praise  made  him  ashamed  of 
himself.  His  father  continued  speaking,  how 
ever,  giving  him  no  chance  to  apologize, — 
perhaps  because  he  feared  the  high-spirited 
young  fellow  might  not  avail  himself  of  such 
an  opportunity.  That  would  have  made  the 
situation  awkward. 

"  I  am  in  honor  bound,  my  son,  to  keep  ab 
solutely  to  myself,  the  knowledge  upon  which 
my  decision  in  this  matter  rests.  I  should  be 

213 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

glad  to  give  you  all  the  facts  if  I  could,  but  I 
may  not  give  them  to  any  human  being  without 
violating  what  I  conceive  is  a  most  imperative 
obligation  of  honor.  I  may  say  this  much  to 
you,  however,  by  way  of  explanation.  There 
hangs  a  sword  over  Helen  Vargave's  head,  and 
it  hangs  only  by  the  frail  thread  of  a  mono 
maniac's  will.  The  secret  which  I  must  keep 
— which  I  have  kept  sacredly,  even  when  its 
keeping  threatened  us  all  with  ruin — is  not 
mine  exclusively.  If  I  alone  knew  it,  it  should 
die  with  me,  and  should  be  no  bar  to  your 
happiness.  But  one  other  man  knows  it,  and 
his  hatred  of  the  Vargaves,  and  of  me  and  mine, 
amounts  to  insanity.  He  cherishes  two  bits  of 
knowledge — this  and  one  other — for  the  pur 
pose  of  making  them  the  ministers  of  his  wrath. 
If  Charles  Barnegal  should  marry  Jacqueline, 
this  man  would  immediately  publish  one  of 
the  facts  and  strike  us  to  the  earth.  If  you 
should  marry  Helen  Vargave,  he  would  reveal 
the  other,  and  wreak  vengeance  upon  every  one 
bearing  the  Vargave  name.  He  may  choose 
to  avenge  himself  upon  the  Vargaves  in  any 
case.  Against  that,  however,  I  have  now  a 
defence.  One  of  his  secrets  he  desires  to  keep 
because  its  publication  would  strike  at  the  repu 
tation  of  his  own  house.  He  has  had  to  tell  it 

214 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

to  me,  however,  and  should  he  threaten  to  re 
veal  the  other  for  the  destruction  of  the  Var- 
gaves,  I  should  meet  him  with  a  counter-threat. 
I  would  reveal  the  stain  upon  his  own  name  if 
he  should  dare  lay  a  finger  upon  the  fair  fame 
of  my  friends  the  Vargaves.  Years  ago  he 
threatened  that,  but  his  fear  of  some  vengeance 
at  my  hands  restrained  him.  I  did  not  then 
know  what  he  has  since  revealed  to  me,  or  I 
should  all  these  years  have  held  him  to  silence 
concerning  the  Vargaves  by  a  securer  bond  than 
I  have  hitherto  been  able  to  impose.  But  he 
is  my  implacable  enemy,  and  if  he  could  at  one 
blow  destroy  the  Vargaves  and  bring  sorrow 
to  my  family,  he  is  desperate  enough  to  accept 
the  ruin  I  should  bring  upon  his  own  house. 

"  Now,  bear  one  thing  well  in  mind.  There 
is  no  stain  upon  the  Alton  name.  There  is 
nothing  that  can  be  said  to  our  injury.  There 
is  no  truth  that  we  have  any  occasion  to  con 
ceal.  Our  men  have  all  been  brave,  and  up 
right,  and  truthful.  Our  women  have  all  been 
above  reproach.  You  must  not  imagine  that 
this  human  tiger, — that  is  the  best  epithet  I  can 
apply  to  him — can  breathe  aught  to  the  shame 
or  even  to  the  reproach  of  any  Alton  who  ever 
lived.  But  should  Jacqueline  marry  young 
Barnegal,  this  tiger  would  blight  the  fame  of 

215 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

her  husband,  and  so  throw  a  shadow  upon  that 
of  her  children.  If  you  marry  Helen  Vargave, 
he  will  bring  dishonor  to  her  house,  and  the 
Altons  who  shall  come  after  you  must  bear 
a  reproach.  It  is  your  duty  not  merely  to  keep 
the  honor  of  your  name  untarnished  by  any 
act  of  your  own,  but  equally  to  hand  it  down  to 
your  children  free  from  inherited  stains  upon 
their  mother's  side.  It  is  this  duty  to  one's 
children,  and  this  alone,  which  limits  a  man's 
right  in  choosing  a  wife  to  please  only  himself. 
He  owes  it  to  them  to  remember  that  in  marry 
ing  he  is  appointing  their  mother,  and  not  only 
so,  but  their  grandparents  and  great-grand 
parents  as  well.  But,  as  I  have  already  inti 
mated,  it  is  for  Helen's  sake  far  more  than  your 
own  that  I  am  concerned.  It  is  my  duty  to  pro 
tect  the  wife  and  child  of  my  dead  friend  by 
every  means  in  my  power,  and  I  tell  you 
solemnly  that  no  worse  ill  can  befall  them  than 
for  you  to  make  Helen  Vargave  your  wife. 
Their  enemy  and  mine  would  blight  their  name 
and  bring  a  sorrow  upon  them  of  wh'ch  Helen, 
at  least,  has  never  dreamed." 

Roger  was  calm  now,  and  able  to  speak  re 
spectfully,  but  he  was  by  no  means  convinced. 

"What  you  tell  me,  father,  I  am  ready  to 
accept  as  a  sufficient  explanation  of  your  re- 

216 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

fusal  to  put  me  in  possession  of  the  facts;  but 
I  must  frankly  own  that  it  does  not  convince 
me  of  my  duty  to  break  my  engagement.  Par 
don  me,  but  I  think  your  anxiety  leads  you  to 
exaggerate  the  danger.  The  man  —  your 
enemy,  whoever  he  may  be,  and  I  think  I  know 
who  he  is — is  afraid  of  you,  it  seems,  and  has 
been  restrained  for  a  long  time  by  his  coward 
ice.  It  seems  to  me  unlikely  that  he  will  now 
invite  at  your  hands  a  revelation  that  must 
bring  ruin  upon  his  own  family  and  shame  to 
his  own  name  for  the  sake  of  wreaking  a  long 
postponed  vengeance.  And  moreover,  I  have 
no  valid  excuse  to  offer  for  seeking  a  release 
from  my  engagement,  even  if  I  desired  it.  My 
first  duty  is  to  be  true  to  my  own  obligations. 
As  I  look  at  the  matter,  I  cannot  honorably  seek 
a  release — and  I  shall  not  consent  to  be  the  first 
of  my  race  recreant  to  the  obligations  of  honor. 
I  tell  you  frankly  that  if  you  command  me  to 
break  this  engagement,  I  shall  disobey  you." 

"  Very  well,  my  son.  You  are  right  in  do 
ing  your  duty  as  you  understand  it,  and  I  have 
no  wish  that  you  shall  do  otherwise.  I  shall 
therefore  give  you  no  command  in  this  case. 
Indeed,  it  is  not  necessary.  The  engagement 
will  be  broken  soon  enough  without  that.  I 
have  not  told  you  these  things  to  persuade  you 

217 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

to  anything,  or  to  compel  you  to  anything,  but 
simply  to  prepare  you  for  the  inevitable.  I 
have  no  fear  that  you  will  ever  marry  Helen, 
and  so  I  do  not  forbid  it.  I  only  warn  you,  in 
advance,  that  you  can  never  marry  her,  so  that 
you  may  be  prepared. 

"  Now  let's  talk  no  more  of  this.  You  are 
about  to  leave  home,  and  the  parting  is  sad 
enough  to  me,  at  any  rate.  I  wish  I  could 
send  you  away  with  a  lighter  heart — as  I  do 
send  you  with  my  blessing.  Hard  money,  as 
you  know,  is  extremely  scarce,  and  the  State 
and  Continental  bills  are  well  nigh  worthless, 
wherefore  I  have  rilled  a  belt  for  you,  with 
coin,  for  use  in  emergencies.  You  will  find  it 
in  Jacqueline's  charge,  and  must  wear  it  al 
ways  upon  your  person." 

And  so  the  conversation  was  turned  with  a 
firm  hand  to  matters  of  detail  connected  with 
Roger's  departure,  and  the  youth  had  no  fur 
ther  chance  to  question  his  father's  purposes. 
An  hour  or  two  later,  he  rode  away,  attended 
by  his  servant — the  stalwart  young  negro  upon 
whom  he  had  bestowed  the  ducal  name  of  Marl- 
borough. 


218 


XVI 

HUMPHREYS 

JUST  as  night  fell,  Captain  Roger  Al 
ton  dismounted  at  the  door  of  the 
Charles  Town  mansion  occupied  by 
his  chief  as  headquarters.    Throwing 
his  rein  to  Marlborough,  with  instructions  as  to 
the  care  of  the  hard-ridden  horses,  the  young 
staff  officer  touched  his  hat  to  the  sentinel  who 
stood  at  the  door  with  "  presented  "  arms,  and 
passed  without  further  formality  into  the  gov 
ernor's  office-room.     Governor  Rutledge  rose 
as  he  entered,  and  held  out  his  hand,  saying : 

"  My  dear  boy,  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  and 
you've  come  none  too  soon.  We're  likely  to 
have  work  enough,  shortly,  and  I  shall  need 
you  badly.  Colonel  Alton  is  well,  I  trust." 

"  Quite  as  well  as  usual,  thank  you,"  replied 
the  young  aide-de-camp,  "  and  as  for  myself,  I 
am  ready  for  service  of  as  hard  a  sort  as  you 
have  to  offer,  Governor  Rutledge." 

"  That  is  well,"  replied  his  chief,  "  as  I  shall 

219 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

have  to  put  your  readiness  to  the  proof.  You 
are  well  mounted,  I  hope." 

"  Nobody  better  so,  sir.  I've  a  pair  of  picked 
horses  in  admirable  condition,  and  I  have  been 
training  them  to  all  kinds  of  difficult  work 
under  the  saddle.  But  what's  in  the  wind? 
What  news  have  you  ?  " 

"  Sh .  You  shall  hear  presently.  But 

you're  hungry,  and  we'll  take  supper  first. 
Then  you  shall  hear  what  this  excellent  scout — 
I  beg  your  pardon — but  I've  quite  forgotten 
your  name,"  turning  to  a  stranger  who  sat  in 
the  shadow  of  the  chimney. 

"  I  am  sometimes  called  Humphreys,  sir. 
You  may  call  me  Humphreys,  if  you  please." 

Roger  started.  The  voice  which  came  out  of 
the  darkness  was  that  of  his  companion,  the 
sailor,  and  he  was  on  the  very  point  of  betray 
ing  his  own  acquaintance  with  the  man,  when 
he  remembered  his  promise  and  restrained  him 
self. 

"  Ah,  yes,  Humphreys,"  said  Governor  Rut- 
ledge.  "  I  had  forgotten.  Captain  Alton,  this 
is  Mr.  Humphreys  who  has  been  engaged  in 
our  secret  service,  and  he  brings  me  some  im 
portant  information.  After  supper  we  will 
hear  in  detail  what  he  has  to  tell.  You  are 
famished  now,  I  know.  Come,"  and  with 

220 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

that  the  governor  led  the  way  to  the  din 
ing-room. 

At  the  table  the  man  Humphreys,  or  what 
ever  else  his  name  was,  acted  his  part  in  a  way 
that  excited  Roger's  admiration  in  the  highest 
degree.  He  not  only  betrayed  nothing  of  his 
former  acquaintance  with  the  young  man, 
but  asked  him  in  the  most  natural  way  imagin 
able,  if  he  was  a  native  of  South  Carolina,  if  he 
had  served  before,  in  what  district  he  lived,  and 
various  other  questions  of  the  kind,  which  one 
gentleman  might  ask  another  under  such  cir 
cumstances.  As  for  Roger,  he  had  great  dif 
ficulty  in  preserving  his  gravity. 

"  Captain  Alton  has  been  in  the  country  a 
very  few  months,"  remarked  Governor  Rut- 
ledge,  during  the  meal.  "  And  indeed,  his 
coming  was  a  rather  remarkable  one, — not  to 
say  romantic,  and  even  heroic.  He  was  so  full 
of  patriotism,  that,  failing  to  find  a  proper  ship 
coming  to  Charles  Town,  he  actually  crossed 
from  the  Bahamas  to  Carolina  in  an  open 
boat!" 

"  Indeed ! "  exclaimed  Humphreys,  with 
perfectly  simulated  astonishment.  "  You  must 
have  found  the  voyage  a  difficult,  as  well  as  a 
perilous  one,  did  you  not  ?  " 

"  Somewhat  so,"  replied  Roger.  "  In  fact, 

221 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

I  hardly  think  I  should  be  here  to  discuss  it  but 
for  the  skill  of  a  companion  I  had  with  me, — 
a  seaman — who  navigated  my  boat  for  me  and 
ran  her  into  an  obscure  little  inlet  during  the 
blackest  and  stormiest  night  I  ever  knew." 

"  A  good  sailor  he  must  have  been,"  said  the 
imperturbable  Humphreys.  "  I  should  like  to 
know  him.  The  skill  of  such  a  man,  and  his 
knowledge  of  the  coast  would  be  invaluable  to 
me,  if  I  could  persuade  him  to  join  me  in  some 
of  my  expeditions.  Do  you  happen  to  know 
where  he  is  at  present?  " 

The  cool  assurance  with  which  Humphreys 
asked  this  question  startled  Roger  into  some 
thing  like  resentment.  "  I  wonder,"  he 
thought,  "  if  this  man  actually  hopes  to  deceive 
me  as  well  as  the  governor,  and  to  persuade 
me  that  I  am  mistaken  with  regard  to  his  own 
identity !  "  He  glanced  at  the  face  of  his  ques 
tioner,  but  could  read  nothing  in  the  frank,  in 
nocent  expression  of  the  countenance,  except 
an  apparently  real  wish  to  know  more  about 
the  matter  of  which  they  were  talking.  With 
out  removing  his  eyes  from  the  face  Roger  re 
plied  : 

"  I  have  reason  to  think  that  he  is  a  dead 
man  now." 

"  Ah,"  said  the  other,  without  a  sign  of  emo- 

222 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

tion,  "  that  is  unlucky.  Such  a  fellow  might 
have  been  extremely  useful  in  the  secret  serv 
ice." 

"  Not  more  so,  I  should  say,  than  you  your 
self  are,"  replied  Roger,  with  some  little  hid 
den  malice.  "  I  imagine  you  have  special  gifts 
for  secret  service." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  man,  without  appear 
ing  to  see  anything  more  in  the  remark  than 
any  stranger  might.  "  You  do  me  honor.  I 
believe  I  have  some  qualifications,  in  the  way 
of  a  knowledge  of  the  country  and  some  other 
things,  for  service  of  that  kind.  I  have  an 
earnest  desire  to  help  on  the  common  cause,  at 
any  rate,  and  as  for  courage,  life  is  not  apt  to 
be  especially  precious  to  a  man  who  has  as  lit 
tle  as  I  have  to  live  for." 

The  meal  over,  the  three  retired  to  a  private 
room  upstairs,  first  placing  a  sentinel  upon  the 
landing  of  the  stairs  with  orders  to  prevent 
eavesdropping. 

Here  Humphreys  told  his  story,  of  which 
Rutledge  had  as  yet  heard  only  a  synopsis. 

"  I  have  been  in  the  British  camp  for  a  week 
or  more,  and  have  found  means  of  ascertaining 
what  Prevost's  plans  are.  General  Lincoln  is 
already  moving  up  the  Savannah  River,  intend 
ing  to  invade  Georgia,  and  the  moment  he  gets 

223 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

well  away  from  Purysburg  on  the  road  to 
Augusta,  Prevost  will  cross  the  river  in  force, 
and  march  upon  Charles  Town,  which  he  hopes 
to  surprise  and  capture  before  Lincoln  can  come 
to  its  relief.  The  only  thing  that  stands  in  his 
way  is  General  Moultrie's  small  force  near 
Purysburg  and  that  is  not  sufficient  even  to 
check  the  British  advance  in  any  serious  way. 
If  Prevost  can  prevent  news  of  his  movement 
from  reaching  Lincoln — or  if  Lincoln  persists 
in  his  campaign  in  spite  of  it,  as  he  may  do — 
or  even  in  the  event  of  Lincoln  proving  prudent 
and  falling  back  from  Augusta  to  Charles 
Town,  it  seemo  almost  certain  that  Prevost  can 
get  here  a  day  or  two  in  advance.  He  hopes 
to  throw  himself  into  the  city  before  Lincoln 
can  arrive,  fortify  it,  and  await  reinforcements 
from  New  York.  This  is  his  plan.  Of  its 
merits  you,  Governor  Rutledge,  can  judge. 
What  measures  should  be  taken  to  meet  it  of 
course  it  is  not  for  me  to  suggest;  but  if  I  can 
be  of  any  service  as  a  courier  or  otherwise, 
pray  command  me.  If  not,  I  will  find  a  way  to 
make  my  rifle  of  some  use  until  you  need  me 
again." 

"  Wait  one  moment,"  said  Rutledge. 
"  How  did  you  learn  of  this  ?  I  ask,  you  un 
derstand,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  how 

224 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

trustworthy  your  source  of  information  is,  and 
not  at  all  because  I  doubt  you.  You  have 
proved  your  faithfulness  too  effectively  for 
that." 

"  I  got  my  information  directly  from  Pre- 
vost's  own  mouth,  by  what  I  should  call  lying, 
if  it  were  not  done  in  the  service  of  my  country 
against  a  very  perfidious  foe.  I  went  to  him 
as  a  tory  resident  of  South  Carolina,  and  after 
laying  before  him  a  minute  account  of  some 
persecutions  I  professed  to  have  suffered  at  the 
hands  of  the  whigs,  I  was  commanded  by  him 
to  return  and  encourage  my  fellow  tories  with 
the  promise  of  a  speedy  invasion,  the  plan  for 
which  he  gave  me  as  I  have  given  it  to  you. 
His  frankness  in  the  matter  astonished  me,  and 
is  the  only  thing  that  causes  me  doubt.  I  do 
not  at  all  know  why  he  should  thus  indicate 
his  plans,  even  in  hints  and  suggestions,  for  of 
course  he  did  not  talk  to  me  otherwise,  but  I  am 
perfectly  satisfied  that  my  understanding  of 
what  he  purposes  is  correct." 

"  Thank  you,"  replied  Rutledge.  "  Now  I 
leave  your  action  to  your  own  judgment.  Re 
member,  I  want  trustworthy  information. 
Get  it  in  whatever  way  you  can  and  report  to 
me.  You  are  supplied  with  money,  I  be 
lieve?" 

225 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

11  Yes,  sir,  and  you  shall  hear  from  me. 
When  Prevost  moves  it  will  be  desirable  to 
know  his  precise  strength,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  By  all  means,  if  you  can  learn  it." 

"  I  shall  learn  it,  sir,  and  when  he  appears 
on  the  Ashley  River  you  shall  know  as  well  as 
he  the  figures  of  his  morning  reports." 

When  Humphreys  had  left,  Roger  turned, 
and  looking  Governor  Rutledge  straight  in  the 
eyes  asked.  "  What  do  you  know  of  that  man 
that  you  trust  him  so  implicitly?  " 

"  I  know  the  man  and  something  of  his  his 
tory,"  answered  Rutledge.  "  I  could  easily 
convince  you  of  his  trustworthiness,  if  I  might 
tell  you  some  things  which  I  may  not.  Pardon 
me,  I  am  not  free  to  say  more  than  this,  but  if 
at  any  time  you  have  occasion  for  a  trusty, 
verbal  messenger,  remember  that  you  may  re 
pose  as  implicit  confidence  in  that  man's  truth 
fulness,  intelligence,  and  patriotism  as  in  my 
own.  It  may  be  of  advantage  to  you  to  know 
this.  Now  to  business.  General  Lincoln  is 
marching  towards  Augusta.  It  is  absolutely 
necessary  that  he  should  know  of  Prevost's 
plans,  and  I  do  not  care  to  risk  a  communica 
tion  in  writing.  I  must  send  you  personally  at 
daybreak  to  find  him  and  tell  him  of  what  we 
have  just  now  learned.  I  shall  go  at  once  to 

226 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Orangeburg,  embody  the  militia  there,  and 
march  immediately  to  Charles  Town.  Leave 
your  servant  and  spare  horse  here.  I  will  take 
them  with  me  to  Orangeburg,  and  you  can  join 
me  there  after  finding  Lincoln.  Lose  no  time, 
however,  as  every  hour  is  precious.  On  your 
journey,  going  and  coming,  if  you  find  militia 
organized  anywhere,  order  them  at  once  to 
Orangeburg  to  join  me.  We  must  be  prepared 
to  keep  Prevost  out  of  Charles  Town  until  Lin 
coln  can  get  here.  Can  you  be  off  by  day 
light?" 

"  I  can  leave  at  midnight,  if  you  wish.  My 
horses  are  in  good  condition,  and  will  have  had 
six  hours'  rest  by  that  time." 

"  Good.  But  won't  it  tax  your  horse  pretty 
severely,  and  so  delay  you  in  the  end  ?  " 

"  You  don't  know  Bullet,  Governor.  He  is 
a  demon  and  needs  breaking  down  to  tame  him. 
If  this  journey  teaches  him  to  behave  like  a 
reasonable  animal,  it  will  accomplish  more  than 
anything  I've  tried  yet." 


227 


XVII 

A  first  SMELL  of  GUN-POWDER 


XH'APTAIN  ALTON  was  in  no  very  en- 
I  .  viable  frame  of  mind  when  his  un- 
^-  •*  manageable  horse  leaped  ashore  from 
the  ferryboat,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Ash 
ley  River,  a  little  after  midnight.  It  was 
raining,  for  one  thing,  and  the  blinding  glare 
of  the  frequent  lightning  served  to  make 
his  progress  somewhat  difficult  He  was  a 
bold  rider,  however,  and  just  now  a  rather  des 
perate  young  man,  as  well.  Somehow,  the 
meeting  with  Humphreys  and  the  additional 
mystery  the  man  had  contrived  to  throw  around 
himself  had  the  effect  of  irritating  Roger  far 
more  than  he  was  accustomed  to  permit  small 
matters  to  do. 

For  reasons  which  he  could  not  explain 
to  himself,  he  had  come  to  feel  that  this  man 
Humphreys  was  in  some  fashion  connected 
with  the  secrets  which  his  father  was  keeping 
from  him,  and  this  reminded  him  of  the  con- 

228 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

versation  he  had  so  lately  held  at  Alton  House, 
which,  the  more  he  thought  of  it,  became 
more  and  more  a  source  of  almost  unbearable 
annoyance.  It  was  provoking  beyond  endur 
ance  to  be  baffled  in  this  way  by  mysteries  at 
every  turn,  to  be  met  even  by  his  father  with 
vague  hints  of  inscrutable  things,  instead  of 
the  frank  confidence  with  which  he  had  always 
been  treated;  to  be  told  that  he  must  not  and 
could  not  marry  Helen  Vargave,  and  to  be  re 
fused  even  a  hint  of  a  reason  why;  to  discover 
that  the  obstacle  in  the  way  was  in  some  manner 
connected  with  that  which  thwarted  Charles 
Barnegal's  suit  for  Jacqueline's  hand — all  these 
things  vexed  and  angered,  while  they  depressed 
him. 

"  I'll  burst  these  bonds,"  he. exclaimed  aloud 
in  his  anger.  "  I  will  not  be  the  sport  of  a  lot 
of  fancies.  I  will  refuse  to  govern  myself  by 
hints  and  innuendoes.  I  will  not  listen  to  half 
told  tales,  or  suffer  the  secrets  of  other  people 
to  bring  ruin  upon  my  life.  Helen  Vargave 
is  a  gentlewoman,  my  equal,  and  she  loves  me. 
I  am  a  man  of  full  age,  able  to  take  care  of  my 
own  honor,  and  to  manage  my  own  affairs.  I 
will  go  to  Helen,  tell  her  the  truth  so  far  as  I 
am  graciously  permitted  to  know  it,  and  I  will 
marry  her  in  spite  of  all  the  mysterious  mono- 

229 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

maniacs  in  the  Carolinas.  Then  I  shall  have 
a  right  to  protect  her  good  name  as  I  do  my 
own,  and  if  the  human  tiger  of  my  father's 
fears  dares  breathe  aught  to  her  disadvantage, 
I  will  avenge  her  as  a  gentleman  should,  and  I 
will  make  the  vengeance  terrible  enough  to  pre 
vent  any  repetition  of  the  wrong." 

This  was  all  very  well  as  a  resolution,  but 
there  remained  to  depress  him  the  unexplained 
words  with  which  Colonel  Alton  had  closed  the 
conversation  on  this  subject, — 

"  I  give  you  no  command, — the  engagement 
will  be  broken  soon  enough  without  that." 

He  wondered  what  that  meant,  and,  imagin 
ing  all  sorts  of  things,  managed  to  work  him 
self  into  a  very  uncomfortable  state  of  mind  be 
fore  the  morning  broke.  He  breakfasted  in 
the  woods  upon  the  contents  of  his  saddle-bags, 
and  pressed  on  until  noon,  when  he  halted  to 
give  Bullet  something  to  eat  at  a  wayside  hos 
telry.  Here  he  determined  to  remain  during 
the  two  or  three  hottest  hours  of  the  day,  and 
discover,  if  he  could,  something  of  General  Lin 
coln's  whereabouts.  That  the  army  was  al 
ready  in  motion  he  knew,  and  if  he  could  learn 
precisely  when  it  left  Purysburg,  he  might  save 
some  hours  certainly  and  possibly  some  days  in 
his  effort  to  come  up  with  it.  After  seeing  his 

230 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

horse  properly  fed  and  groomed,  therefore,  he 
sat  down  in  the  broad  piazza  of  the  tavern,  and 
bade  the  servant — who  brought  him  the  ready- 
mixed  dram  of  the  time  and  country — seek  the 
landlord,  and  tell  him  a  guest  wished  to  speak 
with  him. 

Boniface  came  out  in  his  shirt  sleeves  with  a 
long-stemmed  pipe  in  his  mouth  and  welcomed 
the  traveler.  Roger  made  his  inquiries,  and 
having  gathered  such  information  as  he  could 
with  respect  to  roads  and  other  matters  of  in 
terest,  began  asking  his  host  a  variety  of  ques 
tions  on  more  general  topics,  in  pursuance  of  a 
purpose  he  had  formed  to  learn  as  much  as  pos 
sible  of  the  country  and  people  wherever  he 
should  go,  with  an  eye  to  the  possible  usefulness 
of  such  information  in  future  campaigning. 
The  landlord  was  garrulous,  as  it  becomes  all 
rural  landlords  to  be,  and  was  not  long  in  giv 
ing  Roger  a  brief  outline  of  the  history  of  every 
family  in  the  country  for  thirty  or  forty  miles 
around,  including  his  own. 

"  If  you'd  got  here  an  hour  sooner'n  you  did, 
stranger,  you'd  a  met  just  a  little  the  finest  old 
gentleman  in  South  Carolina,  as  I  count  gentle 
men,"  said  the  inn-keeper  presently. 

"  Ah,  then  I  am  sorry  I  was  so  late  in  com 
ing,"  said  Roger.  "  But  who  was  he,  pray?  " 

231 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  It  was  Colonel  Geoffrey  Alton,  of  Alton 
House,  and  a  finer  gentleman  I  don't  believe 
this  country  holds.  He's  none  o'  your  paper 
money,  savin'  sort.  He  travels  in  his  car 
riage,  if  he  does  travel  by  himself,  and  here's 
the  sort  o'  money  he  pays  his  way  with."  As 
he  said  this,  the  enthusiastic  landlord  drew 
from  his  pocket  two  gold  pieces  and  displayed 
them  in  his  open  palm.  The  host's  enthusiasm 
over  the  golden  souvenirs  of  his  late  guest's 
visit  served  to  distract  his  attention  from  Rog 
er's  face,  and  that  young  gentleman  had  time 
to  suppress  all  manifestations  of  astonishment 
before  asking,  with  an  assumed  air  of  meagre 
interest : 

"  Where  was  the  colonel  going?  " 

"  Now  look  here,  stranger,"  said  Boniface, 
with  an  injured  tone,  "  do  you  take  me  for  the 
sort  o'  man  that  pries  into  gentlemen's  private 
affairs  with  impertinent  questions?  I  answer 
questions,  but  I  don't  ask  them.  If  a  gentle 
man  pays  his  bill  I  bid  him  God  speed,  without 
wantin'  to  know  which  way  he's  goin'." 

"  Oh,  certainly,"  said  Roger,  with  assumed 
indifference.  "  I  quite  understand  the  delicacy 
of  your  position.  I  thought  perhaps  Colonel 
Alton  might  have  mentioned  his  destination  of 
his  own  accord.  That  was  all.  He  is  a  friend 

232 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

of  my  own,  and  I  should  have  been  much 
pleased  to  meet  him  here." 

"  Your  friend,  is  he  ?  Well,  if  you  want  to 
know  where  he's  gone,  I  reckon  I  can  find  out. 
Enoch !  Enoch !  Come  here,  do  you  heah  ?  " 
This  last  to  the  negro  hostler,  who,  without 
answering,  came  to  the  steps  in  front  of  his 
master. 

"  Did  you  pump  Colonel  Alton's  driver — as 
I  told  you  never  to  do — and  find  out  where  he 
was  going?  " 

"  I  dun  ax  de  drivah,  sah,  but  he  didn't  right 
ly  know,  hissef.  He  say  his  mastah  little  bit 
crusty,  an'  he  dussent  ax  him  any  questions, 
but  he  say  he  spec'  dey's  gwine  down  to  Lons- 
dale,  de  widdah  Vargave's  place,  an'  dat's  all 
he  know'd  about  it." 

Mr.  Roger  did  small  justice  to  the  landlord's 
dinner  after  receiving  this  intelligence,  and 
when  Bullet  had  eaten  the  oats  and  fodder  given 
him,  the  young  man  mounted  and  continued  his 
journey,  with  a  depressed  feeling  of  coming  ill 
upon  him.  He  knew  that  his  father's  journey 
to  Lonsdale  boded  no  good  to  him,  and  he  now 
began  to  understand  the  words  over  which  he 
had  been  puzzling  all  the  morning. 

His  powerful  horse  was  not  yet  reduced  to 
proper  subjection,  and  with  an  impulse  which 

233 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

all  horsemen  who  have  ever  ridden  with  a 
burden  of  depression  upon  them  will  under 
stand,  he  plunged  spurs  into  the  wild  creature's 
sides  and  gave  free  rein  to  his  furious  impetu 
osity.  Maddened  by  this  application  of  the 
armed  heel — the  first  he  had  ever  known  of  it — 
the  animal  sprang  forward  with  heedless,  head 
long  fury,  and  the  first  awakening  Roger  had 
from  the  half-trance  into  which  he  had  fallen, 
was  produced  by  a  sudden  cry  of  "  Halt 
there ! "  and  the  hiss  of  half  a  dozen  bullets 
around  his  head.  Mechanically  he  drew  his 
sword  without  pausing  to  think  of  the  odds 
against  him,  and  was  on  the  point  of  charging 
a  little  body  of  British  regulars  twenty  yards 
in  front  of  him,  when  suddenly  he  heard 
the  familiar  voice  of  Humphreys  just  behind 
him. 

"  Don't  charge,  but  run  at  your  best  speed — 
you  have  dispatches." 

The  words  were  spoken  in  the  man's  uni 
formly  quiet  tone,  without  seeming  emotion, 
and  equally  without  a  sign  of  haste.  But  their 
very  quietude  startled  Roger  into  instant  con 
sciousness  of  his  situation.  Turning  he  fled, 
with  Humphreys  at  his  side. 

"  Spur  your  horse,  and  lie  down  as  low  as 
you  can,"  said  Humphreys,  setting  the  example, 

234 


"  The  tivo  were  soon  in  the  midst  of  a  vast  swamp." 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

and  as  the  words  left  his  lips  the  fire  of  the 
whole  advance  guard  whistled  around  them. 

"  Follow  me,"  said  Humphreys,  plunging  in 
to  the  swamp  at  the  side  of  the  road,  picking 
his  way  through  the  dense  underbrush  and  over 
the  treacherous  bogs  with  a  precision  and  cer 
tainty  which  argued  a  minute  acquaintance 
with  the  place.  The  two  were  soon  many  miles 
away  from  the  road  in  the  midst  of  a  vast 
swamp,  and  knowing  themselves  safe  from 
further  pursuit,  they  slackened  speed  and  rode 
quietly  until  night  approached. 

"  There's  a  little  high  ground,  just  ahead,  on 
which  we'd  better  spend  the  night,  I  think," 
said  Humphreys.  "  In  the  morning  I  will 
pilot  you  out  of  the  swamp,  and  put  you  on  the 
road  in  pursuit  of  General  Lincoln.  You 
must  find  him  pretty  quickly,  however,  to  do 
any  good.  You  see  the  British  are  already 
advancing  in  force,  and  will  be  before  Charles 
Town  in  two  days.  That  was  their  extreme 
left  wing  that  you  encountered.  The  main 
body  is  moving  by  a  road  nearer  the  coast,  and 
the  advance  has  halted  at  Pocotaligo,  to  wait 
for  the  rest  to  come  up.  You  can  say  to  Gen 
eral  Lincoln,  if  you  choose,  that  they  are  mov 
ing  in  full  force  with  all  their  baggage  and  am 
munition  trains."  • 

235 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Roger  readily  guessed  the  man's  desire  to 
avoid  all  discussion  of  personal  matters,  and 
he  respected  it  as  a  gentleman  must.  The  two 
were  weary  enough  to  sleep  soundly,  and  in  the 
morning  Humphreys  guided  Roger  to  the  west 
ern  extremity  of  the  swamp,  where  they  sepa 
rated. 

Roger  was  not  long  in  learning  that  Lincoln 
had  already  been  advised  of  Prevost's  move 
ment,  and  that  after  detaching  a  small  body  un 
der  Harris  to  re-enforce  Moultrie,  the  Ameri 
can  general  had  crossed  into  Georgia,  and  was 
now  marching  down  the  right  bank  of  the  river. 
It  was  apparently  General  Lincoln's  purpose  to 
threaten  Savannah,  in  the  hope  that  Prevost 
might  thus  be  compelled  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat, 
or  failing  in  that,  he  thought  it  not  impossible 
that  he  might  actually  recapture  Savannah, 
while  the  British  should  be  engaged  in  besieg 
ing  Charles  Town.  If  he  could  do  that,  he 
would  march  thence  to  Charles  Town,  and 
place  Prevost  between  two  fires. 

This  movement  of  Lincoln's  down  the  Sa 
vannah  River  had  brought  him  within  about  a 
score  or  so  of  miles  from  the  place  at  which 
Roger  had  parted  with  Humphreys,  and  by  al 
lowing  Bullet  to  push  forward  at  a  gait  agree 
able  to  that  energetic  animal,  and  consonant 

236 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

with  his  rather  exaggerated  notions  of  what 
constitutes  a  proper  travelling  speed,  Roger 
was  able  to  eat  a  midday  dinner  with  the  com 
mander  of  the  American  army.  Here  he 
learned  the  nature  and  purpose  of  Lincoln's 
movement,  and  after  dinner  was  detained  by 
Lincoln  till  near  nightfall,  before  he  hastened 
away  in  the  direction  of  Orangeburg,  with  a 
message  from  Lincoln  to  Rutledge. 

"  Tell  Rutledge,"  said  the  general,  "  that  if 
Prevost  does  not  retreat  I  shall  attempt  the  cap 
ture  of  Savannah,  unless  I  find  it  impracticable. 
If  Prevost  persists,  however,  I  shall  not  waste 
many  days  around  Savannah.  Whether  I  take 
the  city,  or  abandon  the  idea  of  trying,  I  shall 
march  upon  Charles  Town  very  shortly. 
Moultrie  with  his  Continentals,  and  Rutledge 
with  the  militia,  can  surelv  keep  the  British  out 
of  the  town  for  a  week  at  least,  and  by  that 
time  I  shall  fall  upon  the  enemy's  rear,  and,  be 
tween  the  two,  we  should  be  able  to  grind  him 
to  powder.  Tell  Rutledge  he  has  only  to  make 
a  determined  stand." 

With  this  encouraging  message  in  charge, 
Roger  dashed  away  on  the  long  journey  to 
Orangeburg. 


237 


XVIII 

A  LOVE  LETTER 

T"  ^OWEVER  pressing  may  be  affairs 
/  /  of  state,  especially  to  enthusiastic 
-••  -*•  young  men  engaged  in  a  war  for 
all  that  human  nature  holds  dear,  affairs  of 
a  nearer  and  dearer  kind  insist  sometimes  upon 
their  superior  claim  to  attention.  When  Roger 
Alton  reached  General  Lincoln's  headquarters, 
he  found  six  or  seven  hours  of  comparative  leis 
ure  at  his  command. 

The  young  man  employed  the  time  of  waiting 
in  writing  a  letter  to  nelen  Vargave.  Fortu 
nately,  for  the  purposes  of  this  story,  the  mis 
sive  has  been  reverently  preserved  in  family 
archives,  and  I  am  permitted  by  those  who  now 
control  it  to  give  it  here. 

"  My  father  has  said  strange  and  inexplicable 
things  to  me,"  he  wrote.  "  He  has  told  me  that 
you  and  I  can  never  marry,  but  he  has  not  told 
me  why.  He  has  not  even  forbidden  the  banns. 
He  tells  me  there  is  no  woman  in  Carolina 

238 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

whom  he  would  so  gladly  welcome  as  his 
daughter,  as  he  would  you,  no  woman  whom 
he  would  so  rejoice  to  see  mistress  of  Alton 
House.  Yet  he  tells  me  our  dear  dream  can 
never  be.  He  has  intimated  that  you  will  your 
self  forbid,  and  I  learned  only  to-day  that  he 
has  gone  to  Lonsdale  to  bring  this  horrible 
thing,  as  I  suppose,  to  your  attention.  I  write, 
therefore,  to  say  the  thought  that  is  in  me.  I 
know  not  what  my  father  is  at  this  moment 
saying  to  you.  But  I  know  this,  dear  Helen, 
that  when  I  comforted  you  out  there  in  the 
boat  and  you  gave  me  your  love,  you  became 
MY  WIFE  before  God  and  all  his  angels.  All 
that  is  essential  to  marriage  is  mutual  love,  and 
whether  or  not  you  are  persuaded  to  say,  as  my 
father  expects,  that  you  will  never  consent  to 
our  formal  and  legal  marriage,  I  at  least,  shall 
hold  myself  loyal  until  death  to  the  bond  that 
already  exists  between  us.  By  all  that  is  holy 
in  marriage,  by  all  that  is  pure,  by  all  that  God 
intended  when  he  gave  Eve  to  Adam,  you  are 
my  wife,  and  will  always  be  so,  not '  until  death 
us  shall  part '  as  the  formal  service  hath  it,  but 
rather  until  death  shall  unite  us  more  completely 
in  a  higher  life  where  the  shallow  convention 
alities  of  this  probationary  time  shall  be  swept 
away. 

239 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"It  is  my  resolution,  dear,  to  seal  the  mar 
riage  of  our  souls  by  legal  and  churchly  bonds 
whenever  you  shall  consent  to  do  so,  regardless 
of  any  man's  objections  or  any  man's  threats, 
or  any  human  being's  consequential  suffering; 
and,  if  you  forbid  that,  to  hold  myself  yours 
and  you  mine  in  a  higher  than  formal  union — 
a  soul  marriage  of  unselfish,  unquestioning  love, 
that  seeks  no  sanction  and  asks  no  reward. 

"  I  do  not  ask  you  to  reply  to  this  letter.  It 
may  be  inconvenient  for  you  to  set  down  on 
paper  what  you  would  say  to  me  if  I  could  be 
by  your  side  to  hear.  But  at  any  rate  I  want 
you  to  know  what  my  attitude  in  this  matter  is 
and  what  it  must  always  be.  A  woman  such  as 
you  does  not  love  except  with  all  of  soul  that 
she  possesses.  When  you  permitted  me  to 
caress  you  as  your  lover,  you  became  mine — 
my  wife — by  a  stronger  and  holier  tie  than 
any  that  the  law  knows  or  any  that  the  church 
recognizes.  And  I,  in  my  turn,  when  I  sought 
your  love  and  secured  it,  bound  myself  beyond 
all  possibility — all  desire — of  recall.  From  a 
love  such  as  ours  there  is  no  withdrawal.  In 
such  a  love  there  is  no  reserve.  To  such  a  love 
there  is  no  end. 

"  As  I  have  said,  I  do  not  exact  an  answer 
to  this  letter.  I  well  understand  how  your 

240 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

maidenly  reserve  might  shrink  from  the  task 
of  writing  a  reply.  I  shall  wait  until  I  can 
hear  from  your  own  lips  what  answer  you  have 
to  make,  and  meantime  I  shall  know  in  my 
heart  what  your  answer  is.  For  I  have  not 
misjudged  the  soul  of  the  woman  I  love. 

"  And  now,  adieu !  I  have  a  long  and  hur 
ried  journey  to  make  in  behalf  of  our  country's 
cause.  If  you  are  moved  at  any  time  to  write 
me  a  line,  send  it  to  Alton  House.  I  will  send 
thither  from  time  to  time  for  letters.  I  am  in 
the  way  of  danger  just  now,  of  course,  and  per 
haps  a  British  bullet,  or  an  ill-parried  sabre- 
stroke  may  settle  for  us  all  questions  of  the 
forms  of  marriage.  But  the  precious  fact  of 
our  marriage  will  remain  to  the  ultimate  end  of 
eternity  itself.  To  such  love  as  ours  death  is 
a  trifling,  temporary  incident.  The  love  itself 
is  immortal." 

By  one  of  those  coincidences  that  seemed  al 
ways  to  govern  Humphrey s's  appearances,  that 
person  presented  himself  in  answer  to  Roger's 
request  of  General  Lincoln  for  a  trusty  mes 
senger  by  whom  to  send  his  letter  to  Helen. 
When  the  man  read  the  superscription  he 
seemed  for  a  moment  about  to  fall  from  his 
horse,  but,  recovering  himself,  he  said: 

"  My  duties  as  a  scout  will  not  permit  me 

241 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

to  go  in  person  to  Lonsdale.  But  I  will  see  to 
it  that  one  as  trusty  as  I  am  shall  deliver  your 
letter,  Captain  Alton.  I  make  myself  personally 
responsible  for  that." 

"  Thank  you !  "  replied  the  young  man.  "  I 
trust  you  implicitly." 

"  Thank  you  for  that,  in  my  turn,"  said  the 
man,  with  a  good  deal  more  of  emotion  than  the 
occasion  seemed  to  call  for.  "  You  will  never 
know,"  he  added,  "  how  much  your  confidence 
means  to  me." 


242 


XIX 

A  BATTLE  in  the  DARK 

rHE  people  of  Charles  Town  were 
naturally  in  a  state  of  intense  ex 
citement  when  it  became  known 
that  the  British  were  advancing  upon  their 
city  with  serious  intent.  They  quite  well 
understood  that  the  only  force  opposing 
Prevost's  advance  was  a  small  body  com 
posed  in  part  of  Continentals,  and  in  part  of 
untrained  militiamen — the  whole  numbering 
very  much  less  than  one-half  of  Prevost's 
drilled,  disciplined,  and  war-hardened  army. 
The  city  was  scarcely  at  all  prepared  to  resist 
an  attack  by  land.  All  that  had  been  done  in 
the  way  of  constructing  defensive  works  had 
been  done  for  the  purpose  of  resisting  an  attack 
by  sea.  On  the  land  side  the  way  was  appar 
ently  open  to  any  invader  who  might  appear. 

The  city  lay  upon  a  narrow  tongue  of  land 
formed  by  the  Ashley  and  Cooper  Rivers, 
which,  uniting  at  the  lower  point  of  the  town, 

243 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

formed  the  harbor.  If  Prevost  had  known  his 
own  mind,  and  had  acted  with  reasonable 
promptitude  after  he  began  his  march,  he  might 
easily  have  made  himself  master  of  Carolina's 
capital.  Luckily  for  the  Carolinians,  the  British 
commander  had  that  worst  of  vices  in  a  mili 
tary  man — a  habit  of  indecision  and  hesitation. 
About  half  way  between  Savannah  and  Charles 
Town,  at  Pocotaligo,  he  halted ;  and  for  three 
days  lay  there,  uncertain  whether  to  advance 
in  accordance  with  his  original  purpose  or  re 
treat  in  view  of  Lincoln's  movement  against 
Savannah.  So  far  Lincoln's  strategy  had 
proved  effective,  for  without  doubt  it  was  Pre- 
vost's  fear  that  the  Americans  might  capture 
Savannah,  which  led  him  thus  to  hesitate. 

While  he  was  waiting  there,  uncertain 
whether  to  push  on  or  to  withdraw,  the  vigor 
ous  Carolinians  were  getting  that  which  they 
needed  more  than  all  else — namely,  time  for 
preparation — and  under  inspiration  of  Rut- 
ledge's  tireless  energy,  they  made  most  excellent 
use  of  it.  The  houses  in  the  suburbs  above  the 
city  were  unhesitatingly  burned  away.  Every 
man  who  could  handle  a  pick,  or  a  shovel,  or 
any  other  implement  with  which  fortifications 
are  made,  was  kept  at  work  by  night  and  by 
day,  and  when,  on  the  Qth  of  May,  Prevost's 

244 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

bayonets  glistened  in  the  sunlight  south  of 
the  Ashley,  a  strong  line  of  redoubts  stretched 
across  the  neck  of  land  between  the  two  rivers, 
and  Charles  Town  was  shut  in.  Only  one 
avenue  of  communication  between  the  city  and 
the  country  without  remained  open,  and  that 
was  inaccessible  to  the  enemy.  It  was  a  ferry 
across  the  Cooper  River,  north  of  the  city,  while 
the  British  were  operating  from  the  south. 

But  troops  were  needed  as  well  as  earth 
works,  and  the  delay  which  had  given  time  for 
the  erection  of  fortifications,  had  served  also  to 
bring  defenders  to  the  capital.  Almost  at  the 
moment  of  Prevost's  appearance  came  Moultrie 
with  his  little  army,  and  Rutledge  with  the 
militia  from  Orangeburg.  The  danger  was 
still  great,  however.  Prevost's  force  outnum 
bered  the  total  garrison  and  consisted  of  British 
regulars. 

The  Americans  were  unlucky  enough  to 
have  two  chiefs  dividing  between  them  the  au 
thority  which  should  have  been  exercised  by 
only  one.  As  a  commander  in  the  Continental 
army,  Moultrie  of  course  had  control  of  all  the 
Continentals  present,  but  Rutledge,  who,  as  we 
know,  had  been  invested  by  the  legislature  with 
almost  dictatorial  powers,  asserted  and  main 
tained  his  right  to  command  the  militia.  This 

245 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

situation  was  one  tending  strongly  to  confusion 
and  disaster.  But  the  two  men  were  equally 
patriotic,  and  each  was  disposed  to  aid  and  co 
operate  with  the  other.  They  held  an  informal 
consultation,  and  it  was  agreed  that  they  should 
act  together  in  making  resistance  to  the  utmost, 
in  spite  of  the  clamor  of  timid  citizens  who, 
fearing  a  bombardment,  and  despairing  of  suc 
cessful  defence,  pleaded  with  the  governor  to 
surrender  the  town.  It  was  at  this  time  that 
Roger  Alton  arrived  with  the  message  from 
General  Lincoln. 

Now  that  they  knew  that  Lincoln  would 
speedily  march  to  the  relief  of  Charles  Town, 
the  problem  set  Moultrie  and  Rutledge  was 
simply  that  of  keeping  the  British  at  bay  until 
the  main  army  should  arrive.  Whether  or  not 
this  could  be  accomplished  was  a  matter  of 
serious  doubt.  Prevost's  hesitation  at  Poco- 
taligo  had  given  them  opportunity,  as  we  have 
seen,  to  make  preparation,  but  had  he  acted 
promptly  even  now,  he  could  have  thrown  him 
self  into  Charles  Town  without  much  difficulty. 
He  again  hesitated,  however.  He  appeared  on 
the  south  bank  of  the  Ashley  on  the  ninth  of 
May,  and  lay  there  inactive  until  the  eleventh 
before  crossing  with  his  advance  guard  and  de 
manding  the  surrender  of  the  town.  He  was 

246 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

promptly  and  furiously  attacked  by  Count 
Pulaski,  whom  he  repulsed  with  great  slaughter. 
It  soon  became  apparent  to  both  sides  that  the 
British  could  carry  the  works  by  storm  when 
ever  they  should  have  stomach  for  that  bloody 
kind  of  work.  This,  with  the  additional  fact 
that  the  enemy's  guns  were  near  enough  to 
bombard  the  city  with  destructive  effect,  led  to 
negotiations  for  surrender.  It  was  the  cue  of 
the  Americans  to  protract  these  negotiations 
as  much  as  possible  in  the  hope  that  relief  might 
come  in  time  to  save  the  town,  as  in  the  event 
it  did. 

News  was  brought  during  the  night  to  the 
timid  Prevost  that  Lincoln  was  near  at  hand 
with  his  army,  and  before  morning  the  British 
had  abandoned  their  positions  and  retired  to 
the  south  of  the  Ashley  River.  Lincoln  was 
still  south  of  them,  however,  and  directly  in  the 
line  of  their  retreat  towards  Savannah.  Not 
daring  to  meet  him  on  ground  of  his  own  choos 
ing,  Prevost  made  a  flank  movement  to  the  Sea 
Islands  that  skirt  the  coast.  At  Stono  Ferry, 
on  John's  Island,  he  strongly  fortified  himself, 
and  for  more  than  a  month  the  two  armies  con 
fronted  each  other,  neither  caring  to  risk  a 
decisive  action. 

Roger  Alton  had  remained  with  Rutledge 

247 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

during  the  brief  struggle  before  Charles  Town, 
but  when  the  British  retired  to  John's  Island,  he 
asked  and  obtained  his  chief's  permission  to 
join  General  Lincoln  with  such  a  force  of 
volunteers  as  he  might  be  able  to  raise  for  that 
purpose.  Going  among  the  militiamen  who 
were  preparing  to  return  to  their  homes — 
after  the  manner  prevalent  among  militiamen 
at  that  time — he  collected  a  band  of  about 
twenty  mounted  men,  volunteers,  and  with  this 
little  command  he  reported  the  next  day  at 
Stono  Ferry. 

His  men  were  fellows  of  restless  spirit,  and 
great  daring;  men  far  less  valuable  to  a  com 
munity  in  time  of  peace  than  were  the  more 
orderly  militiamen  who  assembled  upon  occa 
sion  to  meet  and  fight  an  enemy,  but  who  re 
turned  to  their  ploughs  the  moment  the  imme 
diate  necessity  of  fighting  was  past.  Roger's 
men  were  young  fellows  who  liked  adventure, 
and  relished  the  excitement  and  uncertainty  of 
that  partisan  warfare  which  was  just  then  be 
ginning  to  develop  itself,  and  which  later, 
under  Marion  and  Sumter,  achieved  so  much 
as  to  write  new  chapters  into  military  history, 
and  the  books  of  tactics.  With  these  rough 
riders  whom  Roger  had  gathered  about  him, 
there  was  no  love  for  the  idleness  of  camp  life. 

248 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Their  whole  idea  of  the  war  was  that  the  enemy 
had  no  business  to  be  in  their  country,  and 
must  be  constantly  annoyed  so  long  as  he 
should  remain  there.  This  they  felt  ought  to 
be  their  task  to  attend  to,  and  their  leader  was 
distinctly  like-minded  with  themselves. 

Thus,  weary  of  inactivity,  even  in  prospect, 
Roger  despatched  Marlborough  to  Alton  House 
with  letters,  and  instantly  applied  to  General 
Lincoln  for  permission  to  act  independently 
against  such  straggling  bodies  of  the  enemy 
as  he  might  be  able  to  find.  General  Lin 
coln  highly  approved  of  this  mode  of  warfare, 
the  more  especially  as  the  British  were  availing 
themselves  of  the  opportunity  afforded  by  the 
pause  to  pillage  the  Island  plantations  and  to 
commit  depredations  of  every  sort  upon  the  de 
fenceless  inhabitants.  Among  such  depreda 
tions,  the  most  damaging  was  that  of  invading 
plantations  and,  besides  carrying  off  such  spoils 
as  might  be  found  there,  capturing  the  entire 
force  of  negro  slaves  and  taking  them  away. 
This  form  of  depredation  was  not  committed 
with  even  a  pretence  of  humanity  to  excuse  it. 
It  was  no  .part  of  the  British  purpose,  then  or 
afterwards,  during  the  long,  dark  days  of  the 
struggle  in  Carolina,  to  carry  any  of  the  negro 
slaves  into  freedom.  They  were  sent  instead  to 

249 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

British  plantations  and  public  works  in  the 
West  India  Islands,  and  into  a  servitude  more 
cruel  than  any  that  the  American  mind  at  any 
period  in  history  has  tolerated. 

To  interrupt  these  forays,  to  make  the  occu 
pation  of  the  Sea  Islands  as  uncomfortable  as 
possible  to  the  enemy,  to  capture  his  pickets 
and  scouting  parties,  and  generally  to  keep  up 
that  wearing,  night  and  day  annoyance  which 
organized  troops  dread  far  more  than  they  do 
systematic  battle — was  the  task  that  Roger  Al 
ton  had  undertaken. 

Crossing  from  the  mainland  to  the  island 
with  his  little  force  under  cover  of  darkness, 
young  Alton  put  himself  in  communication  with 
such  of  the  inhabitants  as  he  could  certainly 
trust,  and  prepared  to  strike  at  every  point 
where  striking  promised  results.  As  his  men 
were  well  mounted  and  accustomed  all  their 
lives  to  hard  riding,  retreat  was  always  open  to 
them,  in  the  event  of  failure,  and  they  were  so 
desperately  in  earnest — as  unpaid  soldiers  in 
their  own  cause —  that  their  young  chief  trusted 
confidently  to  their  patriotism  and  courage  as 
full  equivalents  of  the  discipline  and  training 
which  they  lacked.  For  nearly  a  month  he 
remained  on  the  island  and  its  insular  neigh 
bors,  attacking  small  posts,  capturing  pickets 

250 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

and  foraging  parties,  and  keeping  the  enemy  in 
a  state  of  perpetual  uneasiness.  His  prisoners 
were  sent  to  the  mainland  as  soon  as  taken,  and 
he  was  left  free  to  continue  his  work  unem 
barrassed  by  their  care. 

The  British  commanders  on  the  island  made 
more  than  one  determined  and  well-planned 
attempt  to  capture  the  "  Mosquitoes  "  as  they 
called  Roger's  little  handful  of  men,  but  by 
constant  vigilance  and  frequent  changing  of 
position,  the  young  partisan  managed  to  baffle 
them  to  the  last.  He  moved  cautiously  and 
quickly,  and  for  the  most  part  by  night,  hiding 
away  during  the  day  in  swamps  and  other 
places  where  he  was  not  likely  to  be  found. 

On  one  very  dark  night,  about  a  month  after 
these  operations  had  begun,  as  he  was  pushing 
across  the  island  to  escape  the  attack  of  a  strong 
body  sent  out  to  capture  him,  he  turned  to  the 
man  riding  by  his  side  whom  he  could  not  dis 
tinguish  in  the  darkness  and  said : 

"  There's  the  river  ahead.  We  must  cross 
there  if  we  can  and  wait  for  daylight  Ride 
on,  and  see  if  there  are  any  British  there  and 
report  to  me  here." 

"  It  is  not  necessary,  sir,"  replied  the  man. 
"  I  can  report  now." 

"  What,  Humphreys !  you  here !  Where  have 

251 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

you  come  from,  and  how  have  you  found 
me?" 

"  There's  little  time  for  talking  now,  sir.  I 
have  been  on  the  island  frequently  since  you 
came,  and  have  seen  you  a  dozen  times.  I  have 
news  for  you  to-night,  and  I  came  to  bring  it. 
Our  people  are  going  to  attack  the  enemy  in 
force  at  the  ferry  to-morrow  or  next  day.  If 
you  want  to  be  in  the  action,  you  must  make 
haste  to  get  off  the  island,  but  you  will  find  a 
lot  of  trouble  in  doing  it,  I  am  afraid.  They 
have  made  up  their  minds  to  catch  you  this 
time  and  have  posted  men  everywhere  for  that 
purpose.  But  there  are  two  courses  open  to  you. 
There's  a  little  piece  of  swamp  not  very  strong 
ly  guarded  just  below  the  ferry  which  you  may 
possibly  be  able  to  slip  through,  and  if  not,  you 
can  keep  out  of  sight  until  the  fight  begins. 
Then  there  will  be  a  general  rush  for  the  battle 
field,  I  take  it." 

"  Is  there  any  force  on  the  river  just  ahead  of 
us  here?" 

"Yes,  sir;  a  hundred  men." 

"Cavalry?" 

"No,  sir;  on  foot." 

"  They  have  warning  of  our  presence  or  ap 
proach  ?  " 

"  I  think  not,  sir,  but  all  the  river  guards 

252 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

are    under    special    orders    to    look    out    for 
you." 

"  How  are  they  posted?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,  but  if  you  will  halt  here 
briefly,  I  will  reconnoitre  them." 

"  Very  well.  Do  so,  and  report  as  soon  as 
may  be,  if  you  please." 

With  that  Roger  halted  his  band,  and  turn 
ing  to  one  of  them  said :  "  Take  three  men 
with  you,  and  ride  back  half  a  mile.  Make  a 
little  circuit,  and  return  at  once,  as  I  shall  be 
ready  to  move  by  that  time.  We  must  halt 
here  fifteen  minutes,  and  must  not  be  surprised 
from  the  rear.  Reconnoitre  in  that  direction 
sharply." 

In  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  Humph 
reys  returned,  and  Roger  talked  with  him  apart 
in  a  low  tone. 

"  Can  we  force  our  way  past  them,  think 
you,  and  make  a  crossing?  "  he  asked  eagerly. 

"  That  is  for  you  to  say,  sir.  If  you  ask  my 
opinion,  I  should  say  not.  They  number  at 
least  a  hundred  men,  and  are  on  the  alert.  They 
have  posted  two  lines  of  guards  about  a  hun 
dred  yards  apart,  and  the  main  body  is  resting 
on  its  arms  in  line  right  across  the  road.  We 
could  push  past  the  guards,  of  course,  but 
they  would  fire  in  time  to  bring  the  rest  to  their 

253 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

feet,  and  then  we  should  have  to  fight  them 
on  their  own  ground.  That  is  the  situation, 
sir." 

Just  as  he  had  finished  speaking,  the  scouts 
returned  from  the  rear  at  a  rapid  gait.  Roger 
heard  their  report.  It  was  to  the  effect  that 
a  commanding  force  of  the  enemy  was  closing 
in  upon  his  little  band  from  that  direction. 

"  Resume  your  places  in  the  ranks,"  Roger 
said.  Then  approaching  the  line  he  quietly 
gave  the  order  to  mount.  "  Attention,  men," 
he  said.  "  I  have  something  to  say  to  you. 
The  enemy  is  making  a  determined  effort  to 
catch  us  to-night,  and  has  honored  us  by  send 
ing  two  or  three  hundred  men  after  twenty  vol 
unteers.  Just  ahead  of  us — not  half  a  mile 
away — lies  the  stream,  and  the  crossing  is 
guarded  by  about  one  hundred  infantry  men, 
well  posted,  with  two  lines  of  guards  out,  the 
main  body  sleeping  on  arms  in  line  of  battle, 
ready  to  receive  us.  If  we  attempt  to  make  the 
crossing,  we  must  fight  them  without  a  chance 
of  taking  them  by  surprise,  but  it  seems  there 
is  now  no  help  for  it.  Another  and  much  larger 
body,  our  scouts  report,  has  cut  off  our  retreat, 
and  is  gradually  advancing  in  a  semi-circle  in 
our  rear  to  hem  us  in  on  the  river.  We  might 
possibly  escape  as  individuals  by  separating  and 

254 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

hiding,  but  I  for  one  am  not  yet  ready  to  play 
the  part  of  a  hare.  /  am  going  to  attack  the 
force  on  the  bank,  and  if  there's  a  man  among 
you  who  is  not  willing  to  follow  me,  he  may 
ride  out  of  the  ranks." 

"  We  will  follow  you,  Captain,"  said  all  in  a 
breath. 

"  Good !  and  I  thank  you  for  it.  I  want  the 
two  best  mounted  men  among  you  first."  Two 
men  rode  out  to  receive  orders.  "  Humphreys," 
said  Roger,  "  I  want  you  to  take  these  two  men 
with  you.  Ride  around  to  the  south  there  and 
attack  the  pickets  at  that  point.  Crowd  up  as 
close  to  them  as  you  can,  and  give  them  half  a 
dozen  shots,  but  scatter  a  little  first,  so  that 
they  may  not  be  able  to  locate  you,  or  guess 
your  numbers.  The  moment  you  have  de 
livered  your  .shots,  ride  back  here  like  the  deuce 
and  join  us.  I  will  attack  here  as  soon  as  their 
attention  is  concentrated  upon  you,  and  before 
they  find  out  that  you  have  left  their  front  on 
the  south,  we  will  be  upon  them  like  lightning 
on  the  north.  We  may  thus  get  the  advantage 
of  a  surprise  after  all.  Now  men,  attention! 
We  cannot  afford  to  take  prisoners  to-night. 
The  enemy  outnumbers  us  five  to  one  in  our 
front,  and  twenty  or  thirty  to  one  in  our  rear. 
We  are  making  this  attack  to  get  out  of  a  trap 

255 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

— not  to  take  prisoners.  We  are  going  into  a 
desperate  fight,  and  every  man  must  fight  des 
perately.  Fight  always  toward  the  river  bank, 
and  remember  that  our  object  is  to  form  a  line 
between  the  red  coats  and  the  river.  Accom 
plish  that  and  I  will  take  care  of  the  rest.  For 
ward,  march ! " 

Silently  they  rode  forward  in  the  darkness, 
Roger  fifty  yards  in  advance,  until  he  dis 
covered  the  first  line  of  guards  just  ahead  of 
him.  Then  whirling,  he  retraced  his  steps  a 
little  way,  and  halted  his  men  to  await  the 
proper  moment  of  attack.  A  profounder  silence 
than  that  in  which  they  sat  in  their  saddles  it 
is  not  easy  to  imagine.  Roger  heard  even  the 
ticking  of  his  watch  as  he  listened  for  Hum- 
phreys's  opening  shots. 

Minutes  dragged  with  intolerable  slowness — 
then,  "  Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang !  Pop-pop- 
pop-pop-pop  ! "  rattled  the  guns  to  the  south. 
Humphreys  had  done  his  work  well,  and  the 
enemy  was  wasting  whole  volleys  in  the  thicket 
whence  the  first  shots  had  come.  As  the  scout 
and  his  two  companions  came  running  their 
horses  to  join  the  main  body  Roger  called  in  a 
hoarse  whisper,  "  Now  for  it,  boys ! "  and  the 
next  moment  the  little  band  rode  over  the 
guards  just  in  front,  and  through  the  inner 

256 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

picket  line,  receiving  a  shot  or  two.  They 
fell  upon  the  main  body  as  the  thunderbolt 
falls.  The  night  was  pitchy  dark,  and  the  flash 
of  the  British  muskets,  while  it  served  to  re 
veal  the  position  and  strength  of  the  enemy 
to  young  Alton,  only  blinded  the  British  to  his 
weakness.  Right  and  left  fell  the  sabre  strokes, 
the  sturdy  horses  riding  down  every  foeman 
who  stood  in  their  way.  After  the  first  volley 
was  fired,  the  furious  onset  threw  the  British 
line  into  confusion  before  the  muskets  could  be 
re-loaded.  Half  a  minute  later  the  young  com 
mander's  voice  rang  out  on  the  river  bank : 

"  Attention !  Form  line !  by  twos,  forward, 
march ! " 

A  splashing  in  the  water,  then  a  scattering 
fire  from  the  astonished  British,  and  the  oppo 
site  shore  was  gained.  The  fight  had  not  lasted 
two  minutes,  but  two  of  Roger's  men  were 
missing,  and  wellnigh  every  sabre  showed  a 
dark  red  stain  when  the  light  of  morning  broke 
upon  the  little  band. 

Roger  Alton  had  learned  his  trade  as  a  par 
tisan  warrior. 


257 


XX 


WHICH  maidenly  MODESTY  MAKES  very  BRIEF 

T^ERHAPS  something  of  spirit  was  lent 
r^     to  young  Captain  Alton's  fight  by  the 
-*-  riverside,   by   a   letter   which   Marl- 

borough,   returning   from   Alton   House,   had 
brought  to  him  that  day.     It  was  Helen's  reply 
to  the  missive  he  had  sent  from  Gen.  Lincoln's 
headquarters  in  Georgia. 
She  wrote : 

"Your  letter,  Roger,  is  dearer  to  me  than  I  have 
words  to  tell.  You  judge  rightly  when  you  excuse  me 
from  replying,  on  the  ground  that  maidenly  reserve  must 
forbid  me  to  write  all  that  is  in  my  mind  and  heart.  Yet 
I  must  tell  you  that  Col.  Alton's  communications  through 
my  mother  to  me,  have  indeed  rendered  impossible  the 
fulfilment,  now  or  hereafter,  of  the  dear  dream  in  which 
we  have  indulged.  I  cannot  tell  you  why,  until  I  can 
tell  you  orally.  Indeed  I  cannot  fully  tell  you  why,  even 
then,  because  I  do  not  myself  quite  understand.  But  I 
know  enough  to  know  what  my  duty  is,  and,  sadly  terri 
ble  as  it  is,  I  shall  do  it  as  bravely  as  you  are  doing  yours 
as  a  soldier.  You  would  not  love  me  if  I  failed  in  that! 

258 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  But  what  you  say  to  me  in  your  letter  is  dearer  to 
me  than  life,  dearer  than  any  happiness.  My  soul  re 
sponds  to  every  sentiment  you  have  set  down.  I  can 
never  take  back  the  love  I  gave  you  that  day  in  the  boat 
out  there  on  the  sunny  sea.  Fate  decrees  that  I  shall 
never  be  yours  in  the  contemplation  of  the  world,  but 
love  is  superior  to  fate,  and  while  consciousness  en 
dures,  in  time  or  in  eternity,  I  shall  always  be  yours — 
by  the  precious  name  that  you  have  so  lovingly  given 
me — your  wife. 

"  HELEN." 

That  was  all.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  after 
reading  the  note,  Captain  Alton  was  in  a  mood 
for  very  hard  fighting  ? 


259 


XXI 

IN   which   CAPTAIN   ALTON   meets  the  ENEMY 
and  a  FRIEND 

/N  the  assault  on  the  following  day  the 
Americans  had  the  advantage  for  an 
hour,  but  during  the  remaining  twenty 
minutes  of  the  fight  the  British  succeeded 
in  so  concentrating  their  forces  as  to  drive 
the  Americans  back.  Nevertheless,  the  ad 
vantage  at  the  end  of  the  day  remained  with 
the  Americans  in  this  that  the  fight  had  dem 
onstrated  the  fact  that  they  were  more  than  a 
match  for  the  force  left  on  John's  Island  under 
Colonel  Maitland,  for  by  this  time,  Prevost, 
with  the  main  body  of  his  army  had  retired  to 
Savannah.  The  result  of  the  action  was  one 
which  we  should  regard  as  curious  in  our  day. 
It  ended  on  the  one  hand  in  the  retirement  of 
the  British  from  the  position  which  they  had 
intended  to  hold,  and  on  the  other  in  the  practi 
cal  dissolution  of  the  American  army;  for  the 
moment  that  the  British  began  their  retreat 
upon  Savannah,  the  American  militiamen  who 

260 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

constituted  the  bulk  of  Lincoln's  army  quitted 
their  posts  and  started  home  to  look  after  their 
farming  operations. 

This  was  a  common  difficulty  in  all  parts  of 
the  country  throughout  the  Revolution.  No 
sooner  had  a  general  achieved  a  victory  which, 
if  vigorously  followed  up  might  bring  about 
important  results,  than  his  men  went  home  and 
left  him  without  an  army  capable  of  following 
it  up  at  all.  Thus,  a  day  or  two  after  Lincoln 
had  demonstrated  on  John's  Island  his  ability 
to  crush  Colonel  Maitland,  he  was  left  with  a 
mere  handful  of  men — about  half  a  modern 
regiment — as  the  only  army  under  his  com 
mand.  Nevertheless,  he  ordered  his  cavalry  to 
push  the  rear  guard  of  the  retreating  enemy  as 
closely  as  it  might,  to  harass  their  bivouacs  and 
annoy  their  picket  posts  as  ceaselessly  as  pos 
sible. 

In  this  work,  Roger  Alton's  little  command 
proved  unusually  efficient.  It  had  been  trained 
to  wily  work,  and  wiliness  now  counted  for  as 
much  as  that  high  courage  which  these  men 
also  had.  All  the  way  down  the  coast,  while 
the  cavalry  of  the  regular  army  moved  with  an 
orderly  precision  which  the  enemy  could  reckon 
upon  and  meet,  the  little  band  of  partisans 
dashed  hither  and  thither  in  irregular  fashion 

261 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

appearing  at  unexpected  places,  striking  un 
locked  for  blows  that  told  against  superior 
numbers,  and  disappearing  again  so  quickly  as 
to  suffer  comparatively  little  harm  in  return. 
Roger  had  received  several  recruits  from  among 
the  militia  after  the  battle  at  Stono  Inlet,  yet 
by  the  time  that  the  enemy  paused  at  Port 
Royal,  his  force  had  been  weakened  by  losses 
in  skirmish  fighting  until  it  now  numbered  only 
fifteen  men  besides  himself. 

It  was  with  this  little  force  that  he  made  a 
final  dash  into  the  enemy's  camp,  after  orders 
had  come  from  General  Lincoln  to  cease  the 
pursuit.  This  last  dash  was  inspired  as  much 
by  bravado  as  by  patriotism.  Young  Alton 
had  so  far  accustomed  himself  to  play  a  bold 
game,  and  had  met  with  so  much  success  as  the 
result  of  his  audacity  that  it  pleased  him  now 
and  then  to  do  things  which  strict  military 
science  would  characterize  as  utterly  injudi 
cious;  doing  them  merely  by  way  of  demon 
strating  the  fact  that,  with  troopers  such  as  his, 
he  could  do  pretty  much  as  he  pleased. 

In  this  last  instance,  he  had  ridden  around 
on  the  enemy's  flank  which,  being  unthreatened 
by  any  orderly  force  was  left  scantily  guarded. 
It  was  just  after  nightfall,  and,  after  creeping 
as  close  as  possible  to  the  half-guarded  camp, 

262 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Roger  suddenly  pushed  through  the  thin  picket 
line,  and  at  the  head  of  his  men  dashed  into 
and  entirely  across  the  camp  of  a  strong  British 
battalion.  The  thing  was  easily  enough  done, 
but  it  was  not  easily  undone.  Having  gone 
through  the  camp  our  young  cavalier  must  also 
go  back  again,  for  in  front  of  him  lay  the  entire 
body  of  the  British  army.  Going  back  was 
rendered  difficult  by  the  fact  that  the  battalion 
which  he  had  taken  unawares  was  now  thor 
oughly  on  the  alert.  Nevertheless,  the  return 
charge  had  to  be  made,  and  Roger  made  it  with 
all  the  impetuosity  that  excited  men,  and  hard- 
spurred  horses,  could  command.  When  he  rode 
at  last  into  the  safety  of  the  woodlands  near  at 
hand,  five  of  his  saddles  were  empty  and  Cap 
tain  Alton  himself  had  a  very  uncomfortable 
pain  in  his  left  shoulder.  A  hurried  examina 
tion  of  that  part  of  his  anatomy  made  in  the 
darkness  of  the  night  and  woodland  shadows 
disclosed  to  him  the  fact  that  a  half-ounce  Brit 
ish  bullet  had  passed  through  the  muscles  from 
in  front  and  lodged  painfully  in  the  joint  which 
connected  his  arm  with  his  body. 

Retiring  into  the  woodlands  he  met  a  small 
body  of  Continentals  who  had  bivouacked  there 
for  the  night.  His  request  for  permission  to 
join  them  around  their  camp  fire  was  instantly 

263 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

granted  of  course  and  he  had  himself  scarcely 
dismounted  when  there  came  out  of  the  dark 
ness  into  the  glare  of  the  fire  the  familiar  form 
and  friendly  face  of  young  Charles  Barnegal. 
The  meeting  between  the  two  friends  was 
eagerly  gladsome,  but  Barnegal  quickly  saw 
that  cadaverous  look  in  the  face  of  his  friend 
which  always  comes  as  the  instant  consequence 
of  a  painful  bullet  wound. 

"You  are  hit,"  he  said.  "Where?  Are 
you  much  hurt?  " 

Roger  replied  that  his  shoulder  ached,  but 
that  he  did  not  know  the  extent  of  the  injury. 
He  added:  "  Have  you  a  surgeon  here?  " 

Unfortunately  there  was  none,  and  even  had 
there  been  one,  in  that  time  and  country  his 
skill  would  have  been  small,  and  his  appliances 
of  a  sort  ruder  than  any  that  modern  surgery 
dreams  of.  A  bullet-broken  arm,  in  those  days 
meant  amputation  without  ether  or  other  an 
aesthetic,  and  for  antiseptic  treatment  of  the 
wound  it  meant  the  plunging  of  the  lacerated 
member  into  a  bucket  of  almost  boiling  tar. 
It  was  rough  treatment,  but,  in  its  unconscious 
way,  good.  If  the  patient  did  not  die  of  shock 
he  was  left  in  little  danger  of  blood  poisoning 
from  a  wound  which  had  been  disinfected  by 
scalding  pine  tar.  It  is  to  be  remembered  to  the 

264 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

credit  of  those  great-grandfathers  of  ours  who 
achieved  independence  for  us,  that  in  all  their 
fighting  they  risked  not  only  the  ordinary  perils 
of  battle,  but  also  extraordinary  sufferings  and 
dangers,  owing  to  the  absence  of  anything  like 
what  is  now  known  as  surgery.  It  requires  far 
less  of  courage  to  face  the  danger  of  death  with 
a  cheerful  mind  than  to  brave  the  agony  of 
wounds  which  must  be  dressed  without  the  aid 
of  palliating  medicament  of  any  kind. 

Young  Barnegal  almost  dragged  his  friend 
to  the  fire  for  the  sake  of  its  light,  and  stripping 
off  his  garments  exposed  the  wound.  He  found 
the  bullet  wedged  into  the  shoulder  joint  in  a 
way  to  cause  the  most  excruciating  pain.  Its 
extraction  was  instantly  necessary.  And  so 
young  Barnegal  proceeded  to  extract  it.  With 
a  horse  fleam  he  slightly  enlarged  the  wound, 
and  with  a  pair  of  blacksmith's  pincers  he  suc 
ceeded,  after  several  attempts,  in  withdrawing 
the  bullet  and  throwing  his  friend  into  a  state 
of  collapsed  unconsciousness. 

A  gourd  full  of  cold  water  dashed  into  his 
face  and  over  his  bosom  quickly  restored  the 
young  man  to  himself.  A  stiff  drink  of  brandy 
soon  gave  him  strength  enough  to  enable  him 
to  retire  with  his  friend  into  the  woods  where 
the  latter  had  established  a  little  bivouac  of  his 

265 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

own.  There  Barnegal  bound  up  his  friend's 
wound,  and  the  two  sat  half  -the  night  and 
talked. 

"  But  what  brings  you  here,  Charlie,"  said 
Roger  after  a  time.  "  I  thought  you  had  gone 
to  the  northward  to  join  Washington." 

"  I  started  to  do  so,"  answered  his  friend, 
"  but  upon  thinking  the  matter  over  I  changed 
my  mind.  I  was  going  to  the  northward  only 
for  the  purpose  of  rinding  righting  to  do,  and 
I  found  it  more  nearly  at  hand.  I  have  been 
serving,  since  I  saw  you,  as  a  volunteer  in  the 
command  with  which  I  am  now  marching. 
Without  going  into  the  militia  or  enlisting 
as  a  soldier  I  have  been  righting  at  my  own 
expense  wherever  there  was  fighting  to  do.  I 
was  with  Lincoln  on  his  campaign  toward 
Augusta  and  have  been  with  him  ever  since.  I 
changed  my  mind  for  a  reason  which  the  time 
has  come  for  me  to  tell  you.  You  know  a  little 
something — you  cannot  help  knowing  a  little 
something — with  regard  to  the  quarrel  that  I 
had  with  my  uncle.  It  is  only  due  to  you  that 
I  should  tell  you  somewhat  more.  My  quarrel 
with  him  is  that  in  a  letter  to  your  father  he 
impugned  the  honor  of  my  mother!  Not  that 
he  charged  her  with  any  conscious  wrong-do 
ing — even  he  could  not  make  such  an  accusa- 

266 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

tion  as  that — but  he  asserted  that  at  the  time 
she  became  my  father's  wife  my  father  was 
already  a  married  man,  that  her  marriage  was 
therefore  void  from  the  beginning  and  that  I 
was  a  child  born  out  of  wedlock. 

"  I  do  not  believe  this  slander,  and  the  more 
I  think  of  the  matter,  the  more  confident  I  be 
come  that  there  is  somewhere  in  the  story  a 
discoverable  lie.  I  cannot  imagine  that  a  man 
so  lost  as'  he  is  to  all  concern  for  the  good  opin 
ion  of  his  fellowmen,  and  a  man  also  so  greedy 
of  gain  as  he,  would  have  hesitated  to  proclaim 
these  facts — if  they  were  facts — and  to  claim  as 
his  own  the  inheritance  I  received  from  my  fa 
ther.  If  he  could  have  proved  the  statements 
he  has  now  made  to  Colonel  Alton,  the  courts 
would  instantly  have  awarded  him  all  the  prop 
erty  that  I  call  my  own.  He  holds  the  memory 
of  my  mother  and  my  father  in  the  utmost  de 
testation,  and  as  for  myself,  you  know  how 
little  love  he  bears  me.  I  can  conceive  of  no  in 
fluence  that  could  have  restrained  him  from  the 
course  I  have  suggested  if  his  statements  were 
in  any  respect  true. 

"  And  yet,  I  cannot  disprove  those  state 
ments.  Whether  they  be  true  or  false,  the 
papers  relating  to  them  must  unquestionably 
be  in  his  possession  if  there  are  any  papers.  I 

267 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

decided  therefore  to  remain  in  Carolina,  and  to 
do  here  whatever  of  fighting  I  might  for  my 
country  in  the  hope  that  his  excessive  brandy 
drinking  may  presently  bring  him  into  the 
valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  and  give  me  an 
opportunity  to  vindicate  my  father's  honor  and 
my  mother's  purity. 

"  That  alone  I  live  for  now.  All  else  is  lost 
to  me  in  the  world  until  that  task  shall  be  ac 
complished.  You  see  how  it  is,  Roger.  When 
he  dies — if  I  am  at  hand  to  claim  the  adminis 
tration  as  next  of  kin,  there  will  be  none  to 
dispute  my  right.  Until  the  baseness  of  my 
birth  is  established  in  a  court,  I  stand  before 
the  world  not  only  as  his  next  of  kin,  and  there 
fore  his  heir,  but  as  the  only  kinsman  he  has 
alive.  As  such  I  shall  take  possession  of  his 
house  and  estate  the  moment  that  he  dies.  I 
wish  to  go  through  his  desks,  his  secretaries, 
his  private  drawers  and  every  secret  receptacle 
there  may  be  at  The  Live  Oaks.  I  wish  to  ex 
plore  every  nook  and  corner  until  I  find  every 
paper  there  that  has  ever  been  in  his  possession. 
Among  them  I  hope  to  find  proof  that  he  has 
lied  or  at  least  to  find  out  whether  he  has  any 
proof  of  the  truth  of  his  statements.  Then  I 
shall  publish  both  his  lie  and  the  refutation  of 
it  or  the  fact  that  there  is  no  proof  of  it,  if  the 

268 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

refutation  is  not  there.  That  is  what  I  live 
for  now.  That  is  why  I  have  remained  in 
Carolina." 

Roger  expressed  his  sympathy  with  his 
friend's  grief  and  determination  in  that  silent 
way  which  strong  men  prefer  to  words.  He 
grasped  young  Barnegal's  hand  and  pressed 
it  hard,  saying  nothing,  but  Barnegal  quite  un 
derstood.  These  two,  comrades  in  their  child 
hood,  schoolmates  and  lifelong  friends,  had 
now  become  brothers  in  the  truest  sense  of  the 
word. 

Their  conversation  drifted  presently  to 
Roger's  condition  and  what  was  to  be  done. 

The  order,  as  has  been  said,  had  already 
come  for  the  retirement  of  the  little  force  which 
now  alone  constituted  Lincoln's  army.  In 
other  words,  there  was  no  further  work  of  a 
military  sort  to  be  done  for  the  time.  It  was 
necessary  for  Roger  to  find  rest  and  medi 
cal  treatment.  His  first  thought  was  to  dis 
band  his  little  force  and  go  to  Alton  House. 

"  But  Alton  House,  my  dear  boy,"  said 
Charlie,  "  is  seventy  miles  away.  You  can 
never  stand  so  long  a  journey  in  your  present 
condition.  Lonsdale  is  here,  almost  at  hand, 
less  than  ten  miles  distant  at  the  farthest.  I 
shall  take  you  there.  I  have  a  fancy  that  your 

269 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

nursing  there  will  be  inspired  by  a  love  as  true 
and  gentle  as  though  you  were  in  charge  of 
Jacqueline  herself." 

It  was  so  arranged,  and  the  pair  at  last  bade 
each  other  good-night,  and  stretched  out  their 
limbs  for  such  rest  as  might  be  possible  to  them. 
To  neither  did  sleep  come,  and  after  half  an 
hour  of  pretence,  young  Barnegal  lifted  himself 
upon  his  elbow  and  said : 

"  By  the  way,  Roger,  have  you  any  news 
from  Lonsdale  to  tell  me  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  young  man.  "  Nothing  of  a 
definite  nature  at  least.  I  know  only  that  just 
after  I  was  summoned  from  home  on  this  mili 
tary  duty,  my  father  made  a  journey  to  Lons 
dale  and  that  he  told  Helen  something  that  in 
duces  her  to  forbid  our  marriage.  She  has  so 
written  to  me,  but  at  least  she  wrote  lovingly. 
It  is  doubly  fortunate,  therefore,  that  if  I  am 
to  be  laid  up  in  a  hospital  for  a  few  days  it  is 
to  be  at  the  home  of  the  Vargaves." 

Young  Barnegal  had  this  advantage  over  his 
friend.  While  his  friend  must  lie  awake 
throughout  the  night  to  conjecture  what  the 
morrow  might  bring  forth,  he  himself  had  no 
morrow  in  prospect  until  that  time  when  death 
should  bring  him  again  an  opportunity.  For 
that  he  must  wait  with  what  patience  he  could 

270 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

command.  He  would  gladly  have  hurried  the 
day  by  killing  his  enemy  like  a  dog,  if  that 
enemy  could  by  any  means  have  been  provoked 
to  personal  war.  He  could  not  kill  him  other 
wise  without  becoming  a  murderer,  and  it  was 
no  part  of  his  purpose,  his  character  or  his  his 
tory  to  indulge  in  thoughts  of  killing  other 
wise  than  in  open  combat.  He  had  challenged 
his  uncle,  as  we  know  and  his  uncle  had  insult 
ingly  refused  even  to  receive  his  challenge.  The 
young  man  had  put  upon  his  adversary  all  of 
affront  that  it  is  possible  for  one  man  to  put 
upon  another,  by  horsewhipping  him  in  the 
presence  of  a  witness,  yet  he  had  not  succeeded 
in  provoking  him  to  battle. 

Roger  was  thinking  of  these  things  as  he  lay 
there  and  they  kept  him  awake.  Barnegal  had 
thought  them  all  out  long  before,  and  was 
rapidly  sinking  into  sleep  when  Roger  spoke : 

"  What  has  your  uncle  ever  done  with  re 
gard  to  that  horsewhipping  you  gave  him  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  damn  him,"  answered  young 
Barnegal.  "  The  fact  has  never  been  men 
tioned.  No  white  man  in  Carolina  knows  of  it 
except  you  and  me.  Tiger  Bill  has  taken  pains 
that"  no  report  of  it  should  ever  get  beyond 
the  limits  of  his  plantation,  and  I,  of  course, 
cannot  with  honor  speak  of  it.  Your  tongue 

271 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

is  equally  tied.  Who  else  was  there  to  report 
it  to  the  community  ?  " 

"  I  wonder  that  the  negroes  have  never 
tattled." 

"  They  know  better.  His  treatment  of  them 
is  severe  enough  at  best,  and  they  know  well 
enough  what  it  would  be  should  any  whisper 
of  an  affair  like  that  escape  beyond  the  boun 
daries  of  the  plantation  without  his  permission. 
He  would  not  wait  to  ascertain  through  whom 
the  leakage  of  information  had  come.  He 
would  bring  an  iron  heel  down  upon  every  one 
of  them  until  their  lives,  already  a  burden, 
should  become  unendurable.  They  know  him 
and  they  have  kept  silent." 

Roger  said  nothing  for  a  time,  but  after  a 
while  he  said,  more  to  himself  than  to  his  com 
panion,  "  It  is  a  dreadful  pity." 

"  What  is?  "  asked  Barnegal. 

"  That  nobody  should  know  of  the  disgrace 
you  have  inflicted  upon  him.  I  have  been  turn 
ing  the  matter  over  in  my  mind  trying  to  find 
a  way  by  which  I  might  with  honor  publish 
the  facts.  I  can  think  of  none  unless  perhaps 
I  might  relate  them  to  some  woman  in  strict 
confidence.  I  suppose  that  would  secure  their 
circulation.  Still  I  cannot  do  even  that.  It  is 
a  pity.  It  is  a  pity.  The  horsewhipping  was 

272 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

a  severe  punishment,  but  it  was  not  enough. 
Exposure  should  be  added  to  it.  Never  mind, 
old  fellow,  never  mind.  Wait,  wait,  wait.  All 
things  come  to  him,  you  know,  who  waits,  and 
all  things  will  come  to  you — Jacqueline  at  the 
head  of  them  all." 

And  so  the  friends  at  last  ceased  talking  and 
got  what  they  might  of  sleep.  In  the  morning, 
young  Barnegal,  who  was  under  nobody's  com 
mand,  took  orders  from  nobody,  and  had  not  to 
seek  anybody's  permission  to  do  as  he  pleased, 
departed  from  the  camp  with  his  friend  in 
charge.  Marlborough,  who  had  followed  his 
master  at  every  step  permitted  to  him,  rode  on 
the  other  side  and  the  two  supported  young 
Alton  between  them  for  he  was  very  faint  from 
pain  and  loss  of  blood. 

Before  their  departure  from  the  camp,  Roger 
had  bidden  his  men  good-by  and  sent  them  to 
their  homes,  first  taking  in  his  memorandum 
book  the  addresses  of  all  of  them,  saying: 

"  I  shall  be  well  presently,  boys,  and  I  shall 
need  you  again ;  "  to  which  one  of  them,  speak 
ing  for  all,  sadly  responded: 

"  We  hope  so,  Cap'n,  and  when  you  need  us 
we  will  be  there." 


273 


XXII 

UNDER  the  IRON  HEEL 

W"  Tf  HEN  Roger  arrived  at  Lonsdale, 
t/j/  he  was  almost  unconscious  from 

*  *  fever.     Mrs.   Vargave   had  him 

put  to  bed  at  once  and  sent  for  a  surgeon, 
who  found  the  wound  in  a  state  of  danger 
ous  inflammation.  It  had  been  very  im 
perfectly  cleansed  and  scarcely  dressed  at  all, 
and  was  now  in  a  condition  which  the  doctor 
called  "  angry."  Roger  impatiently  demanded 
of  him  that  he  should  restore  him  at  once,  or, 
at  the  most,  within  a  day  or  two,  to  full  health 
and  vigor. 

"  A  little  scratch  like  that,"  he  said,  "  ought 
not  to  disable  a  perfectly  healthy  young  man 
like  me.  It  is  nonsense  to  talk  of  keeping  me 
here,  as  you  do,  for  an  indefinite  period.  Do 
something,  do  something,  do  something !  " 

Clearly,  the  young  man  was  out  of  temper, 
if  not  quite  out  of  his  mind.  The  surgeon 
calmly  shook  his  head  and  said: 

274 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  You  are  lucky,  Captain  Alton,  to  be  in 
quarters  so  good  as  these,  and  with  such  nurses 
as  Mrs.  Vargave  and  her  daughter  to  attend 
you.  Permit  me  to  congratulate  you  upon  that, 
and  let  me  warn  you  not  to  be  in  too  great  haste 
to  get  well.  If  you  are  prudent  and  cautious, 
and  especially  if  you  sufficiently  restrain  your 
impatience  -of  inaction,  you  may  be  strong 
enough  within  three  months  or  so  to  ride  to 
Alton  House,  but  if  you  are  not  patient,  if 
you  try  to  hurry  things,  if  you  overtax  your 
•strength,  I  will  not  answer  for  the  conse 
quences." 

With  that  he  quitted  the  room  without  wait 
ing  for  the  angry  reply  which  his  patient  was 
moved  to  give  him,  and  the  anger,  denied  ex 
pression  in  words,  expended  itself  in  an  access 
of  fever  which  quickly  rendered  the  young  man 
half  deliriously  unconscious. 

The  physician's  prediction  with  regard  to  the 
wound  proved  to  be  correct.  Week  after  week 
the  young  man  lay  in  bed,  or  sat  propped  up 
with  pillows  in  an  armchair,  too  weak  to  talk, 
too  weary  to  think,  too  dull  in  his  mind  even 
to  aspire.  It  was  only  as  he  began  to  grow 
better  that  he  began  to  worry. 

He  was  eager  to  have  a  talk  with  Helen,  but 
that  discreet  young  lady,  more  attentive  than  he 

275 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

to  the  commands  of  the  physician,  took  meas 
ures  to  prevent  his  indulgence  in  anything  so 
rash.  She  went  many  times  a  day  to  the 
chamber  that  he  occupied  and  gave  minute  and 
loving  attention  to  all  the  details  of  nursing,  but 
she  went  always  accompanied  by  her  maid,  and 
upon  leaving,  always  left  the  maid  behind  with 
duties  enough  to  perform  to  keep  her  there 
for  some  minutes  at  least  after  her  own 
departure. 

Sometimes  in  his  weakness,  Roger,  resented 
all  this,  and  showed  his  resentment  upon 
Helen's  next  coming  by  a  certain  querulousness 
of  voice  which,  as  a  strong  man,  had  never  been 
habitual  with  him.  Helen  knew  what  his  peev 
ishness  meant,  and  she  knew  for  what  he  was 
longing,  but  she  knew  also  much  better  than  he 
did,  what  was  good  for  him.  And  so  when  his 
exasperation  grew  greater  than  usual  over  her 
careful  avoidance  of  private  conversation,  she 
checked,  and,  in  a  sense  rebuked  it,  by  delaying 
her  next  coming  until  he  had  had  time  to  learn 
better  manners. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  months,  however,  he 
grew  so  far  stronger  as  to  contemplate  an  al 
most  immediate  return  to  Alton  House,  whence 
Jacqueline  had  made  two  visits  to  Lonsdale  to 
look  after  him.  It  was  then  that  Helen  de- 

276 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

cided  to  let  him  have  the  conversation  with 
her  for  which  she  knew  that  he  was  so  im 
patiently  longing. 

It  was  a  sad  conversation,  with  little  in  it  to 
comfort  either  of  them,  except  that  it  bore  to 
each  precious  assurances  of  love  from  the  other. 
Helen  could  tell  Roger  nothing  with  regard  to 
his  father's  visit  to  her  mother,  except  that  after 
it  was  over,  her  mother  had  said  things  to  her 
which  she  now  repeated  to  Roger  thus : 

"  Roger,  you  remember  what  I  told  you 
about  my  grandfather  ?  You  remember  that  he 
bade  me  always  hearken  to  whatever  advice 
Colonel  Alton  might  give  me?  You  remember 
how  greatly  he  esteemed  him.  how  earnestly 
he  used  to  say  that  Geoffrey  Alton  was  the 
ftoblest  man  in  the  world,  the  bravest,  the 
truest,  the  best?  Well,  Colonel  Alton  said  to 
my  mother,  '  Tell  Helen  this :  that  I  love  her 
as  I  love  my  own  daughter;  that  nothing  in 
all  this  world,  nothing  that  fate  could  bring  me, 
would  please  me  better  than  to  have  her  the 
wife  of  my  only  son,  the  mother  of  all  the 
Altons  who  are  to  come  after  me.  If  that 
might  be,  I  would  make  any  sacrifice  to  ac 
complish  it,  but,  unhappily,  it  may  not  be.  It 
is  not  I  upon  whom  the  sacrifice  in  that  case 
would  fall.  It  is  true  that  if  Roger  married 

277 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Helen,  harm  would  come  to  all  the  Altons 
succeeding  me.  But  that  I  should  brave  and 
endure  if  that  were  all.  Unhappily  it  is  not 
all.  If  Roger  and  Helen  contract  a  marriage, 
hurt  would  come  to  the  dearest  dead  you  know. 
For  the  sake  of  the  dead,  I  ask  Helen  to  forbid 
this  marriage  which  I  myself  have  not  the  heart 
to  forbid.' 

"  That  was  all  he  said,  Roger,  at  least  it  was 
all  that  my  mother  reported  to  me.  I  think 
she  knows  what  he  meant.  I  do  not  know, 
but  little  things  that  she  has  dropped  from  time 
to  time  in  her  grief  over  this  matter,  have  sug 
gested  to  me  that  somehow  all  this  is  connected 
with  my  father's  death  or  disappearance  five 
years  ago,  and  with  that  trouble  that  your 
father  had  with  the  court.  It  seems  that  my 
father  must  somehow  have  been  associated  with 
that — that  it  was  to  protect  my  father's  name 
and  memory  that  your  father  took  the  risks  he 
did  on  that  occasion.  I  do  not  know,  Roger. 
These  things  are  all  blind  to  me.  Only  one 
thing  is  clear,  and  that  is,  that  it  is  my  duty  to 
you,  to  Colonel  Alton,  to  my  mother,  and  to 
my  dead  father,  to  say  that  I  can  never  be 
your  wife,  unless  and  until  Colonel  Alton  shall 
say  that  these  things  are  past  and  dead  and 
buried.  Let  the  matter  rest  here,  Roger.  It 

278 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

pains  me  to  talk  about  it.  Do  not  interrupt  me 
now,  please.  You  are  not  strong  enough  to 
argue,  and  I  have  no  wish  to  argue.  I  want 
only  to  go  to  my  bedchamber  and  weep.  Good- 
by,  Roger,  I  shall  not  see  you  again  before  you 
go.  Spare  me  a  farewell !  I  love  you,  as  your 
wife."  And  with  that  she  left  the  room,  mani 
festly  broken-hearted. 

The  young  man,  now  recovering  some  of 
the  eagerness  of  his  youth  and  strength,  would 
have  followed  her,  but  that  he  knew  the  useless- 
ness  and  the  folly  and  the  cruelty  of  it.  He  sat 
in  his  chair  instead,  and  sobbed  as  he  had  never 
done  before  since  he  had  put  off  the  pinafores 
of  infancy.  Life  had  brought  him  up  to  a 
blind  wall  through  which  no  opening  appeared, 
and  over  which  no  strength  that  he  had  could 
vault. 

It  was  in  the  early  days  of  August  that  the 
young  man  set  out,  accompanied  by  Marlbor- 
ough,  on  his  way  to  Alton  House.  He  was 
confident  now  of  a  speedy  recovery,  and  of  his 
ability  to  take  the  field  again  early  in  the 
autumn.  His  purpose  was  to  find  surcease 
of  sorrow  in  the  very  hardest  fighting  that 
he  could  anywhere  find  to  do.  But  on  his 
homeward  journey,  he  learned  that  he  was 
much  weaker  still  than  he  had  imagined,  and 

279 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

on  his  arrival  at  Alton  House  he  went  immedi 
ately  to  bed  and  into  a  fever.  For  month  after 
month  he  continued  alternately  ill  and  con 
valescent.  Summer  ripened  into  autumn.  Au 
tumn  dozed  listlessly  in  a  purple  and  golden 
glory  of  soft,  velvety  weather ;  Christmas  came, 
with  its  besom  of  frosts  to  sweep  the  haze  of 
Indian  summer  from  the  sunshine,  and  the  Jan 
uary  spring-time  came  again,  and  Roger  was  a 
prisoner  still  at  Alton  House,  unfit  for  anything 
more  active  than  a  brief  morning  ride  on  par 
ticularly  favorable  days. 

He  had  missed  much  of  the  fighting  and  ad- 
Venture.  The  siege  of  Savannah  by  the  com 
bined  American  and  French  forces,  and  the 
splendid  assault  in  which  Pulaski  fell,  a  sac 
rifice  to  his  own  heroic  daring,  were  matters 
of  history  now,  and  Roger  had  had  no  part  in 
making  the  events.  But  his  strength  was  com 
ing  back,  and  the  occasion  for  his  resumption 
of  his  work  was  drawing  near. 

With  the  spring  came  a  menace  of  sharper 
warfare  than  any  the  south  had  yet  known.  On 
the  eleventh  of  February,  Arbuthnot  and  Clin 
ton, — the  one  commanding  the  British  fleet  and 
the  other  the  British  army  sent  southward  from 
the  north, — appeared  off  Edisto  Inlet.  Making 
a  landing,  they  entrenched  themselves  on  Wap- 

280 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

poo  Cut,  a  narrow  inlet  which  connects  Charles 
ton  Harbor  with  the  Stono  River,  and  separates 
James  Island  from  the  mainland. 

Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  an  abler  man  than 
Prevost,  and  he  commanded  a  much  larger  and 
finer  army.  The  force  he  had  brought  with 
him  from  New  York  numbered  five  thousand 
men,  and,  when  to  these  were  added  the  British 
troops  already  on  the  coast,  and  large  numbers 
of  tories,  the  force  that  threatened  Charles 
Town  by  land  was  a  very  formidable  one  in 
deed.  It  was  to  operate  in  conjunction  with 
the  fleet  also,  and  against  the  combined  attack. 
'General  Lincoln  could  oppose  bjut  fourteen 
hundred  men,  and  a  little  flotilla  of  boats  wholly 
incapable  of  making  a  stand  against  the  heavily 
armed  cruisers  of  the  British. 

Obviously,  Charles  Town  was  doomed.  Lin 
coln's  first  thought  was  to  evacuate  the  city,  and 
thus  save  his  little  army  for  future  use  in  the 
field.  He  thought  it  possible  that,  upon  retir 
ing  to  the  upper  country,  he  might  collect  a 
sufficient  army  to  return  and  drive  the  enemy 
out  of  the  capital.  Whether  he  could  have  ac 
complished  this  or  not,  is  uncertain,  but  it  is 
evident  now  that  evacuation  would  have  been 
the  better  course.  Had  Clinton  pushed  his  at 
tack  with  any  degree  of  vigor,  that  course 

281 


would  have  been  adopted.  But  with  all  his  ad 
vantages,  Clinton  hesitated  just  as  Prevost  had 
done.  He  remained  a  full  month  on  the  Wap- 
poo  within  cannon  shot,  or  almost  that,  of  the 
town,  and  when,  on  the  twenty-eighth  of 
March  he  at  last  moved  forward  to  besiege  the 
city,  Lincoln  had  good  reason  to  expect  a  speedy 
and  strong  reinforcement,  with  some  help  from 
the  Spanish  West  Indies,  wherefore  he  de 
termined  to  remain  and  stand  the  siege. 

Upon  the  approach  of  the  enemy,  the  legisla 
ture  added  still  further  to  the  enormous  powers 
it  had  already  conferred  upon  Governor  Rut- 
ledge.  When  it  was  decided  that  resistance 
should  be  made,  it  was  not  in  the  nature  of 
the  gallant  John  Rutledge  to  resist  feebly.  Lin- 
coin  was  military  chief,  of  course,  upon  whom 
the  conduct  of  the  defence  would  depend,  but  it 
was  for  Rutledge  to  add  as  largely  as  possible 
to  his  resources,  and  never  was  there  a  man 
better  fitted  for  the  work  than  he.  His  power 
was  absolute  over  both  men  and  materials.  Not 
property  alone,  but  human  life  and  human  death 
also  were  at  his  unchecked  disposal.  He  pro 
visioned  the  city,  but  in  doing  so  took  care  not 
to  impoverish  the  country.  He  prepared  the 
militia,  for  effective  service,  and  threw  as  large 
a  body  of  them  into  the  Charles  Town  trenches 

282 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

as  could  be  effectively  used  there,  but  he  exer 
cised  a  wise  discretion  in  refusing  to  denude 
any  part  of  the  country  of  its  young  men  to 
such  an  extent  as  to  leave  it  defenceless.  No 
man  was  ever  clothed  with  more  unlimited 
power  than  he  at  this  time  possessed,  and  no 
man  ever  used  power  more  wisely  or  more 
faithfully  to  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  given. 
But  in  spite  of  all  Charles  Town  fell.  After 
a  gallant  resistance,  extending  over  many 
weeks,  General  Lincoln  was  fairly  forced  to 
surrender  the  city  and  with  it  his  army. 

Then  came  Carolina's  night  of  blackness. 
The  British  had  never  learned,  and  were  not 
now  disposed  to  learn  to  regard  the  patriots  as 
armed  foes,  engaged  in  legitimate  warfare. 
They  regarded  them,  instead,  as  the  sheriff  re 
gards  rioters,  as  the  courts  hold  men  who  refuse 
to  obey  their  mandates,  as  the  law  regards  the 
law-breaker.  It  seems  to  have  been  impossible 
for  the  British  commanders  in  Carolina  at  that 
time,  and  especially  for  Lord  Cornwallis — who 
soon  succeeded  Clinton  there — to  understand 
that  faith-keeping  with  the  rebels  was  an  obli 
gation  ;  that  promises  made  to  them  were  prom 
ises  to  be  fulfilled ;  that  paroles  exacted  of  them 
and  given  by  them,  carried  with  them  all  the 
rights  and  privileges  promised  in  the  offering 

283 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

of  the  parole.  In  the  eyes  of  these  British 
commanders,  the  patriots  were  rebels  to  be  pun 
ished.  They  were  criminals  to  be  hunted 
down,  and  to  be  dealt  with  by  the  high  hand  of 
force.  They  were  vermin  to  be  exterminated. 

Thus,  when  Charles  Town  fell,  and  its  peo 
ple,  as  well  as  its  garrison,  became  prisoners 
of  war,  it  was  stipulated  that  all  the  militia 
men  and  all  citizens  who  should  give  their 
parole,  might  go  to  their  homes  and  live  there 
in  peace,  so  long  as  they  did  not  violate  their 
promise  not  to  serve  against  the  king  again. 
Yet  when  this  promise  was  accepted,  and  the 
men  making  it  were  faithfully  keeping  it,  the 
British  commanders  added,  one  after  another, 
new  conditions  to  it  and  enforced  them  by  im 
prisonment  or  deportation,  until  many  of  those 
who  had  pledged  themselves  not  again  to  serve, 
were  fairly  forced  to  disregard  their  paroles, 
and  take  the  field,  or  go  instead  into  hopeless 
exile,  or  to  a  pestilential  prison. 

The  republic  in  which  we  live  owes  much 
indeed  to  this  treachery  and  brutish  insensi 
bility  to  honor  on  the  part  of  Lord  Cornwallis 
and  his  lieutenants,  especially  the  butcher  Tarle- 
ton.  Had  they  kept  faith,  there  would  still 
have  been  a  partisan  war  in  the  Carolinas;  but 
it  would  have  had  far  less  of  determination 

284 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

in  it  than  it  had  in  fact.  It  would  have  been 
waged  with  far  less  of  relentless  vigor,  and 
many  of  those  who  most  actively  and  cour 
ageously  participated  in  it,  with  a  price  set  upon 
their  heads,  and,  as  it  were,  with  nooses  around 
their  necks,  would  have  remained  quietly  at 
home  under  a  parole  which  they  at  least  had 
given  in  all  sincerity,  but  from  which  they  just 
ly  thought  themselves  released  by  the  utter  dis 
regard  of  its  terms  on  the  part  of  their  captors. 
It  is  not  the  purpose  of  the  present  writer 
to  relate  the  history  of  that  splendidly  heroic 
age.  That  task  has  fallen  to  abler  pens  than 
his.  The  facts  of  history  are  here  mentioned 
only  in  so  far  as  they  gave  rise  to  the  incidents 
recorded  in  this  romance,  and  may  serve  to  ex 
plain  its  events. 


XXIII 

WAR'S  new  BIRTH 

/N  surrendering  Charles  Town,  Lincoln 
was  forced  to  surrender  not  only  his 
army,  but  all  of  the  civilians  likewise. 
A  very  few  escaped,  for  the  lines  had  been 
tightly  drawn  for  weeks.  Young  Barnegal 
had  fought  in  the  trenches  as  long  as  the 
struggle  lasted,  and  when  it  was  over,  and  sur 
render  was  agreed  upon,  he  was  wholly  un 
willing  to  become  himself  a  part  of  the  sac 
rifice.  He  was  prepared  to  face  any  danger, 
and  endure  any  hardship,  rather  than  submit 
to  be  a  prisoner  of  war  in  the  loathsome  quar 
ters  which  the  British  were  then  accustomed  to 
use  as  military  prisons,  and  he  had  no  faith 
whatever  that  if  he  accepted  a  parole  he  would 
be  permitted  to  live  unmolested  under  its  terms. 
He  foresaw  what  afterward  happened  to 
many  in  Carolina,  as  already  related.  He  had 
no  stomach  for  imprisonment  in  any  shape. 
He  resolved  to  escape  at  all  hazards. 

286 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Before  undertaking  this  he  wrote  hurriedly 
to  a  friend  in  Charles  Town  who  had  sought 
to  dissuade  him.  His  note  ran  as  follows : 

"  I  have  set  out  to  fight  for  the  privilege  of 
being  a  free  man.  I  have  risked  my  life  as  all 
the  rest  of  us  have,  in  that  behalf.  And  life 
is  not  more  precious  to  me  now  than  it  has  been 
all  along.  Why  then  should  I  not  risk  it  again, 
rather  than  surrender  my  freedom?  More 
over,  even  if  I  could  trust  the  British  parole,  I 
do  not  want  its  protection.  I  do  not  want  to 
live  in  secure  idleness  while  my  country  is  be 
ing  overrun  and  subjected  to  a  foreign  domina 
tion.  I  will,  therefore,  make  an  effort  to  es 
cape  from  this  trap,  and  in  that  effort,  only 
death  shall  cause  me  to  fail." 

Quitting  the  ranks,  he  concealed  himself  in  a 
fisherman's  hut  on  the  Ashley  River,  which  had 
been  abandoned  since  the  bombardment  had 
begun.  For  two  days  and  nights  he  lay  there 
without  food,  or  even  a  chance  to  get  water. 
The  British  were  swarming  on  the  opposite 
shore,  and  were  patroling  the  shore  on  which 
he  lay,  their  lines  having  been  extended  into 
and  around  the  city.  The  little  hut  lay  just 
outside  the  outer  line;  and  so,  the  young  man 
for  two  days  escaped  capture,  or  rather  escaped 
the  necessity  of  making  the  desperate  final  bat- 

287 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

tie  which  he  had  determined  upon  as  the  alter 
native  to  capture,  and  the  only  alternative  he 
would  accept. 

On  the  third  night,  the  British  seemed  satis 
fied  that  their  work  of  occupation  was  complete, 
and  greatly  relaxed  their  vigilance  along  the 
shores.  About  midnight  young  Barnegal  slip 
ped  out  under  cover  of  darkness,  and  aided  by 
a  thick  fog  which  lay  over  the  harbor  and  the 
city,  managed  to  reach  a  little  well  which  had 
served  the  fisherman,  and  there  slaked  his 
parching  thirst.  Then,  taking  off  his  shoes,  he 
crept  quietly  through  the  fog  to  the  margin  of 
the  river,  and  there  still  further  lightened  his 
burden  of  clothing  by  removing  his  hat  and 
coat.  Very  quietly,  and  with  as  little  splash 
ing  as  possible,  he  let  himself  into  the  river, 
thronged  as  it  always  is  at  that  season  of  the 
year  with  man-eating  sharks  and  other  enemies 
which  the  boldest  swimmers  do  not  care  to  en 
counter. 

The  river  at  that  point  is  very  wide,  and  the 
enemy,  as  he  knew,  occupied  its  southern  bank. 
But  Barnegal's  plan  was  to  meet  one  difficulty 
at  a  time,  and  the  river  was  the  first  difficulty. 
Swimming  as  noiselessly  as  possible,  he  at  last, 
near  morning,  reached  the  southern  shore.  He 
was  chilled  through  to  the  bone,  water-soaked, 

288 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

of  course,  bare-headed,  bare-footed,  and  weary 
beyond  expression,  for  the  swim  he  had  made 
was  twice  at  least  as  great  as  any  he  had  ever 
undertaken  before.  The  friendly  darkness  and 
the  still  friendlier  fog  served  him  well.  He  went 
into  the  tall  marsh  grass  which  grew  thickly 
along  the  shores,  and,  as  the  tide  was  out,  he 
threw  himself  down  in  the  ooze  for  a  little 
needed  rest.  "  The  incoming  tide  will  awake 
me,"  he  thought  to  himself,  "  if  I  fall  asleep, 
and  it  should  be  coming  in  before  the  morning 
breaks." 

When  the  rising  water  lapped  his  feet  and 
aroused  him  an  hour  or  two  later,  he  was  at 
first  bewildered  with  faintness,  hunger,  and  his 
excessive  weariness,  but  he  presently  gathered 
together  enough  of  his  wits  to  know  that  he 
must  be  up  and  doing  if  he  hoped  to  complete 
the  work  of  escape.  The  enemy  were  now 
posted  almost  entirely  upon  the  main,  and  so 
the  young  fugitive  swam  across  Wappoo  cut 
to  James  Island.  There,  passing  through  the 
woods,  he  at  last  reached  Stono  Inlet,  and 
crossed  that  to  John's  Island.  He  was  sure 
now  that  he  was  south  of  the  enemy's  position, 
and  as  he  was  utterly  exhausted  by  starvation, 
he  determined  to  recross  to  the  mainland  at  a 
point  still  farther  south.  Having  secured  food 

289 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

at  the  hands  of  a  friendly  negro,  he  wrapped 
his  feet  in  the  long  gray  moss  that  there 
abounds,  and  proceeded  on  his  journey. 

It  was  in  this  plight  that  he  at  last  reached 
Alton  House,  bringing  with  him  the  first  defi 
nite  news  that  had  been  received  there  of  the 
surrender  of  the  city  and  army.  After  he  had 
been  fed  and  clothed,  Colonel  Alton  peremp 
torily  ordered  him  to  bed  and  to  absolute  silence 
until  he  should  be  recovered  of  his  fatigue. 
It  was  not  until  the  following  day  that  he  re 
appeared,  dressed  in  Roger's  garments,  and  told 
fully  the  story  of  which  he  had  given  only  the 
briefest  possible  outline  on  the  day  before. 

"  The  event  is  altogether  the  worst  disaster 
that  has  yet  befallen  the  American  cause,"  he 
said  by  way  of  comment.  "  The  fall  of 
Charles  Town  is  the  fall  of  South  Carolina,  if 
not  the  fall  of  the  entire  South." 

"  How  so,"  asked  Roger,  who  had  just  been 
discharged  from  the  doctor's  hands,  as  at  last 
well  and  ready  to  get  strong.  "  I  see  no  rea 
son  for  surrendering  South  Carolina  merely  be 
cause  the  British  have  taken  our  capital  and 
seaport." 

"  Why,  Roger,  we  have  no  army  left,  and 
the  demoralization  of  the  people  is  terrible. 
The  enemy  is  already  spreading  over  the  coun- 

290 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

try,  establishing  posts.  By  dint  of  terrifying 
some  and  cajoling  others,  they  have  made  more 
than  half  the  people  already  swear  allegiance  to 
the  king.  The  state  is  prostrate  and  helpless, 
and  those  of  us  who  are  not  ready  to  choose  be 
tween  taking  the  oath  of  allegiance  and  going 
to  a  prison  ship,  must  quit  Carolina  at  once,  as 
I  am  going  to  do." 

"  You  were  in  Charles  Town  at  the  time  of 
the  surrender  ?  "  asked  Roger. 

"  Certainly." 

"  You  got  away,  didn't  you  ?  " 

"Of  course.  What  do  you  mean?  How 
else  could  I  be  here  ?  " 

"  I  mean  only  this — that  a  young  man  who 
could  escape  from  a  long  beleaguered  and  at 
last  surrendered  city,  across  a  bridgeless  river, 
and  through  lines  which  the  British  had  spent 
weeks  in  drawing  tighter  and  tighter,  might 
manage,  I  think,  to  stay  in  South  Carolina  and 
do  some  little  righting  here,  in  spite  of  all  the 
efforts  of  a  scattered  foe  to  catch  him,  or  to 
drive  him  away.  If  we,  who  are  not  ready — 
who  never  mean  to  be  ready — to  swear  allegi 
ance  to  King  George,  quit  the  state,  then  is 
Carolina  indeed  conquered,  but  I,  for  one,  shall 
stay  here,  and  not  only  stay,  but  fight,  too,  till 
I  fall.  It  is  no  time  to  run  away.  Carolina 

291 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

needs  every  one  of  us  now,  and  moreover,  if  we 
go  away  and  leave  the  British  in  undisturbed 
possession,  they  will  first  establish  themselves 
firmly  here,  and  then  march  northward,  crush 
ing  the  patriots  of  the  other  colonies  as  between 
two  millstones.  We  shall  then  have  nowhere 
on  earth  to  which  we  can  flee." 

"  Roger,"  replied  Charles,  speaking  in  a  low, 
but  very  earnest  tone,  "  have  you  forgotten 
what  I  told  you  in  the  woods  the  night  you 
were  wounded  ?  " 

"  No,  Charles,  I  have  not." 

"  You  will  understand  me  and  believe  me 
then,  when  I  say  that  no  man  can  be  more 
anxious  than  I  am  to  stay  here  in  Carolina. 
Now  tell  me  frankly  what  you  mean,  and  how 
it  can  be  done." 

"  I  will  tell  you,"  said  Roger,  "  and  after  that 
I'll  show  you,  too,  if  you'll  join  me.  John's 
Island  is  only  a  small  spot  on  the  map  of  Caro 
lina,  and  yet  I  stayed  there  a  month,  with 
twenty  men,  when  the  British  army  there  had 
nothing  to  do  but  catch  me,  and  more  than  that, 
my  stay  cost  the  British  a  good  many  men  and 
horses,  to  say  nothing  of  lost  time  and  ex 
pended  energies.  The  swamps  of  Carolina  af 
ford  '  cover  '  for  a  great  deal  of  game  which  no 
huntsman  can  drive  out,  and  why  shouldn't  you 

292 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

and  I  and  some  hundreds  of  other  bold  young 
fellows  succeed  as  well,  with  our  educated 
intellects,  as  the  poor  deer  do  with  their  in 
stincts,  in  eluding  the  vigilance  of  the  pursuers  ? 
We  must  take  to  the  swamps  and  live  there, 
with  such  fellows  as  we  may  be  able  to  take 
with  us;  and  from  the  swamps  we  must  sally 
forth  and  strike  wherever  a  point  of  weakness 
invites  a  blow.  As  Marion  once  phrased  it, — 
by  the  way,  where  is  Marion  ?  He  must  be  our 
leader,  if  we  can  find  him." 

"  Nobody  knows,"  replied  Barnegal.  "  He 
was  at  home  with  a  broken  ankle  when  Charles 
Town  fell,  but  he  has  disappeared — taken  to  the 
swamps,  people  say.  But  if  that  be  so,  he  must 
have  faithful  friends  with  him,  for  he  can 
neither  walk  nor  stand.  Just  before  the  siege 
of  Charles  Town  began,  he  was  supping  with  a 
party  in  the  city,  in  an  upper  room.  After  the 
bad  fashion  that  exists  among  us,  his  host 
locked  the  door,  determined  that  none  of  his 
guests  should  leave  until  all  of  them  should  be 
too  drunk  to  leave.  Marion,  you  know,  is  very 
abstemious,  and  he  had  no  mind  to  be  forced 
into  a  debauch,  so  he  quietly  slipped  through  a 
window  and  dropped  to  the  ground,  breaking 
his  ankle  in  doing  so.  He  was  at  home  nursing 
the  injured  joint  when  Charles  Town  fell. 

293 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

But  come;  I  like  your  idea,  and  want  no  bet 
ter  leader  than  you,  Roger.  I  have  heard  of 
your  exploits  on  the  Island,  and  I  fancy  you 
know  this  sort  of  partisan  business  quite  as 
well  as  another.  But  how  are  you  to  hide  un 
til  you  get  well?  The  British  are  moving  up 
this  way,  and  will  be  here  to-morrow,  I  fear." 

"  I  shall  be  ready,  then.  I  have  a  friend  or 
two  living  not  far  away — hrave  fellows,  who 
were  with  me  on  the  island.  Let  me  send  for 
them  to  come  here.  Then  we'll  easily  find 
out  just  when  the  red  coats  approach,  and — 
we'll  take  to  the  swamps  together." 

"  My  dear  brother,"  said  Jacqueline,  enter 
ing  the  room  at  the  moment,  "  what  are  you 
talking  about?  You  are  a  sick  man,  my  pa 
tient,  and  I  shall  not  allow  you  to  think  of  go 
ing  anywhere  until  you  are  well  again." 

"  Not  even  to  prison  ?  "  asked  Roger. 

"  I  do  not  understand,"  she  replied. 

"  Why,  that's  the  alternative.  If  I  don't  go 
to  the  swamps,  I  must  go  to  prison;  for  I  will 
never  swear  to  be  a  loyal  subject  of  Georgius 
rex,  my  dear." 

"  But  why  can't  you  stay  quietly  at  home?  " 
asked  the  young  woman. 

"  For  the  reason,  my  dear  sister,  that  His 
Gracious  Majesty's  brave  soldiers  are  afraid  of 

294 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

patriots,  even  when  they  are  sick  and  at  home. 
Bring  your  portfolio,  won't  you,  sister,  and 
write  a  note  or  two  for  me,  and  send  for  Marl- 
borough  to  saddle  a  horse  and  report." 

"  Certainly,  my  lord  general.  '  Report '  is 
essentially  military,  I  think,  and  I'll  issue  your 
'  general  order  No.  i  ',  and  then  '  report  in 
person  at  these  headquarters/  to  act  as  your — 
what  do  you  call  it, — adjutant,  isn't  it?  " 

And  with  that  she  playfully  patted  Roger's 
cheek  before  quitting  the  room. 

Marlborough  delivered  the  notes,  and  just 
at  nightfall  three  sinewy  fellows  mounted  on 
little  half-bred  horses,  and  armed  with  holster 
pistols,  swords  and  long  rifles,'  rode  up  to  Al 
ton  House.  They  were  "  common  "  people  in 
the  parlance  of  the  time  and  country;  that  is 
to  say  they  were  plain,  uneducated  men,  over 
seers  or  small  farmers  perhaps,  with  no  claims 
to.  social  recognition  at  such  a  mansion  as  Al 
ton  House.  But  Roger  received  them  cordial 
ly  as  his  friends  and  comrades,  meeting  them 
in  the  porch  and  ushering  them  as  guests  into 
the  supper  room  where  Jacqueline  courtesied 
in  answer  to  the  awkward  bow  of  each  quite  as 
if  these  had  been  the  stateliest  gentlemen  in  the 
land.  Jacqueline  Alton  was  a  lady,  you  see, 
and  she  honored  whomsoever  might  come  as 

295 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

an  invited  guest  into  the  mansion  of  which  she 
was  mistress. 

The  men  shrank  back  at  first,  awed  quite  as 
much  perhaps  by  the  dazzling  beauty  of  the 
richly  dressed  young  hostess  as  by  the  novel 
surroundings,  but  Roger  came  promptly  to 
their  assistance. 

"  These  are  my  friends,  sister,"  he  said  by 
way  of  introduction,  "  my  comrades-in-arms. 
Mr.  Hadley,  Mr.  Burton,  Mr.  Frost — my  sis 
ter,  gentlemen.  You  are  just  in  time  for  sup 
per." 

Mistress  Jacqueline  honored  these  men  as 
patriots  and  brave  soldiers,  of  whose  prowess 
and  faithfulness  Roger  had  fully  informed  her. 
She  welcomed  them  also  as  his  friends,  and  I 
verily  believe  she  took  greater  pleasure  in  en 
tertaining  them,  plain  fellows  as  they  were, 
than  she  would  have  felt  had  they  been  men  of 
the  highest  social  rank.  That  fine  gentlemen 
should  do  battle  for  their  country  was  to  her 
quite  a  matter  of  course — they  had  family, 
name,  estates  and  reputation  to  maintain.  But 
these  plain  fellows  had  no  such  incentive,  and 
their  courage  in  such  a  cause  she  deemed  the 
loftiest  heroism — as  perhaps  it  was. 

After  supper  Roger  explained  his  plans  to 
the  men. 

296 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  I  must  go  back  to  the  swamps — not  merely 
as  a  precaution  against  arrest,  but  for  the  sake 
of  keeping  up  the  struggle  and  annoying  the 
enemy  as  much  as  possible.  I  want  to  take 
with  me  as  many  good  men  as  I  can — especial 
ly  as  many  of  my  old  Island  volunteers  as  can 
be  found.  I  have  sent  for  you,  therefore,  to 
join  me  because  I  knew  I  could  depend  upon 
you.  Now,  who  else  is  there  we  can  get  ?  " 

The  men  entered  heartily  into  the  plans  of 
their  captain,  and  before  morning  Roger  Al 
ton  was  again  chief  of  a  little  band  numbering 
something  more  than  a  score  of  daring  and  de 
termined  men.  Barnegal  was  his  only  lieuten 
ant,  and  as  it  was  desirable  for  Roger  on  ac 
count  of  his  health  to  remain  at  Alton  House 
as  long  as  possible,  Barnegal  took  two  of  the 
men  and  rode  away  early  in  the  morning  to  as 
certain  the  movements  of  the  enemy.  Mean 
time  Roger  kept  the  rest  of  his  company  to 
gether  to  be  ready  for  immediate  marching. 

About  noon  Barnegal  reported  the  British 
within  five  miles  of  Alton  House,  encamped, 
and  sending  out  "  small  bodies  "  of  cavalry  in 
every  direction. 

"  How  small  ?  "  said  Roger,  in  the  senten 
tious  and  rather  imperious  manner  which  he 
had  unconsciously  adopted  in  conversation  on 

297 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

military  matters;  for  his  whole  soul  was  in 
this  war,  and  to  him  it  was  a  personal  affair 
which  stirred  his  anger  and  made  of  him  not  so 
much  a  soldier  with  a  duty  to  do  as  an  insulted 
gentleman  bent  upon  resenting  and  resisting  in 
vindication  of  his  personal  right;  and  insulted 
gentlemen  are  apt  to  speak  shortly  and  sharply 
even  to  their  friends.  "  How  small?  " 

"  Well,  some  of  the  bodies  number  ten,  some 
twenty,  and  some  more,"  replied  Barnegal. 
"  They  are  ordinary  scouting  parties,  sent  out, 
I  fancy,  to  scour  the  country  and  pick  up  stray 
patriots  and  poultry.  (We  had  better  betake 
ourselves  to  the  swamps  at  once  if  we  don't  in 
tend  to  be  caught." 

"  We  are  not  foxes,"  said  Roger,  buckling 
on  his  sword.  "  We  can  fight  as  well  as  run, 
and  the  swamp  is  our  base  of  operations — not 
merely  a  refuge  from  danger.  Pardon  me, 
Charles,  you  have  seen  only  regular,  syste 
matic  war.  I  am  a  partisan — an  outlaw,  the 
British  say — and  I  will  show  you  what  the 
books  neglect  to  teach:  that  in  such  a  country 
as  this,  a  little  band  of  bold  fellows  may  wage 
little  wars  of  their  own  without  any  very  great 
danger  of  capture.  We  will  strike  at  one  or 
two  of  these  scouting  parties,  if  you  please,  by 
way  of  intimating  to  their  commanders  that 

298 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Carolina  is  not  conquered  yet  as  they  imagine 
that  it  is,  and  we  will  ride  away  to  the 
swamps  when  we  must.  Luckily,  my  men 
know  every  by-path  hereabout.  Bid  the  men 
mount,  please." 

A  moment  later  the  young  cavalier  was  rid 
ing  at  the  head  of  his  little  company.  Inquir 
ing  at  every  opportunity,  and  scanning  the  road 
for  tracks,  he  was  not  long  in  discovering  that 
a  party  of  British,  well  mounted,  had  gone  to 
the  neighboring  plantation  of  Beverly  bent  up 
on  plunder  perhaps. 

"  Examine  the  road,  Burton,"  said  Roger,  to 
a  tall,  gaunt,  bullet-headed  fellow,  whose  small 
restless  eyes  were  given  to  a  minute  study  of 
everything  about  him  at  once.  "  Examine  the 
road  and  tell  me  how  many  there  are  of  those 
fellows." 

Without  a  word  Burton  discharged  an  ex 
hausted  quid  of  tobacco  from  further  service, 
and  dismounting  walked  forward  a  dozen 
yards  or  so  scanning  the  confused  hoof-marks 
in  the  sand,  of  which  a  less  skilled  observer 
could  have  made  nothing  whatever.  Return 
ing  he  said : 

"  They's  twenty-eight  or  thirty  uv  'em  in  all ; 
hosses  all  big,  an'  five  uv  'em's  thoroughbreds, 
or  purty  nigh  it.  They  ain't  lookin'  fer  no 

299 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

soldiers,  though,  but  huntin'  plunder.  If  they 
wuz  expectin'  fightin'  men,  they  wouldn't  ride 
all  over  the  road  as  they're  adoin'." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Roger,  "  mount  your 
horse.  Now  men,  attention.  We  are  all 
pretty  well  armed,  but  some  of  our  horses  are 
scrubby,  and  one  or  two  of  you  have  no  pistols. 
This  party  ahead  of  us  has  good  horses  and 
plenty  of  arms,  and  it  will  be  our  own  fault  if 
we  fail  to  supply  ourselves  abundantly  at  their 
expense.  Burton  finds  that  they  are  riding 
carelessly,  irregularly,  '  all  over  the  road '  as 
he  puts  it,  and  assumes  very  properly  that  they 
do  not  expect  to  encounter  anything  more  bel 
ligerent  than  a  hen-roost  or  a  sideboard  or  a 
sucking  pig.  At  Beverly  they  will  leave  their 
horses  with  one  or  two  guards,  or  possibly  no 
guards  at  all,  while  they  search  the  cellar  and 
chicken-coops.  Half  of  them  will  leave  their 
pistols  in  their  holsters.  We  must  approach 
through  the  grove  and  charge  from  the  edge  of 
it.  Then  let  every  man  who  sees  a  better  horse 
than  the  one  he  is  riding,  capture  it  and  mount 
it.  Turn  the  old  ones  loose  as  we  cannot  af 
ford  to  lead  horses.  Let  no  man  fire  until  we 
are  fired  upon,  but  use  your  sabres  instead. 
The  enemy  outnumbers  us,  and  everything  de 
pends  upon  the  completeness  of  the  surprise." 

300 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

In  obedience  to  a  brief  order  or  two,  the  lit 
tle  company  filed  off  through  the  woods.  Si 
lently  they  rode  over  the  sandy  soil  of  the  pine 
barren  for  half  an  hour,  then  through  a  grove 
of  low  hanging  oaks,  till  they  reached  its  edge, 
when  Roger  in  a  low  tone,  scarcely  louder  than 
a  whisper,  said : 

"  Forward.  Keep  line.  Open  order;  draw 
sabres ;  gallop ;  CHARGE  !  " 

The  last  word  rang  out  at  the  top  of  the 
young  chief's  voice,  and  ten  seconds  later  he 
and  his  men  fell  upon  a  group  of  dismounted 
and  terror-stricken  cavalrymen  who  had  been 
left  with  the  horses  of  the  whole  body.  Their 
sabre  strokes  fell  fast  and  furious  for  a  time. 
Then  Roger  called  out :  "  Provide  yourselves 
with  arms  and  horses,  men,  and  stampede  all 
the  rest" 

It  was  no  sooner  said  than  done.  The  half 
dozen  guardsmen  had  promptly  thrown  down 
their  arms,  and  it  was  the  work  of  only  a  mo 
ment,  to  send  the  released  and  frightened 
horses  helter  skelter  through  the  woodlands,  a 
task  in  which  the  British,  pouring  out  of  the 
house,  themselves  unintentionally  assisted  by 
delivering  an  otherwise  ineffectual  fire  from 
such  arms  as  they  had  with  them. 

"  These  are  light  horse  troops  and  have 

301 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

no  rifles,"  said  Roger  eagerly  to  his  lieuten 
ant.  "  They  have  emptied  their  pistols,  and  on 
foot  their  swords  are  useless.  We  will  make 
absentees  of  them  at  roll-call  to-night."  And, 
giving  a  few,  rapid  orders,  he  led  his  men 
again  to  the  charge. 

The  onset  was  furious,  and  the  helpless  dis 
mounted  men  were  speedily  driven — as  their 
horses  had  been — to  the  neighboring  woods, 
leaving  several  of  their  comrades  on  the  field, 
stricken  down  by  the  whirling  sabres — quite 
half  of  which,  had  been  fashioned  in  a  black 
smith's  shop,  out  of  scythe  blades.  When  the 
melee  ended,  Roger  formed  his  men  in  front  of 
the  mansion  whose  mistress — a  neighbor,  a  pa 
triot,  and  a  friend  of  his  own — hastily  brought 
forth  decanters  and  glasses. 

"  We  must  drink  and  away,"  said  the  young 
chief.  "  Here's  to  Carolina,  country  and  lib 
erty.  May  we  prove  faithful  to  all  three." 

Crack !  went  a  rifle  from  the  bushes  near-by. 
Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack ! 

"  Them's  not  red  coats,  them's  tories,"  said 
Burton  the  observer  and  oracle.  "  Red  coats 
don't  shoot  rifles,  and  they  don't  fight  every 
feller  for  hissef,  nuther." 

There  was  no  time  for  discussion.     The  tory 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

company  which  had  come  up  was  much  too 
formidable  for  Roger's  party  in  point  of  arms 
and  numbers,  and  it  was  clearly  their  purpose 
to  capture  the  little  band  of  partisans.  Seeing 
the  situation  at  a  glance,  Roger  wheeled  his 
force  about  and  attempted  to  gallop  away;  but 
he  had  fallen  into  a  trap.  A  deep,  sluggish 
stream  lay  in  the  rear  of  the  house  and  the  to- 
ries  had  stretched  themselves  in  a  strong  line 
around  the  three  other  sides.  There  was  no 
escape  except  by  swimming  the  stream.  Well 
aimed  bullets  whistled  around  the  heads  of  the 
patriots  as  they  plunged  into  the  water,  but  all 
escaped  to  the  opposite  bank  where  they  halted 
to  cheer.  They  did  so  too  soon,  however,  for 
as  they  shouted  they  were  greeted  with  a  show 
er  of  musket  balls  from  the  timber  on  that  side 
of  the  river  on  which  they  stood.  They  had 
crossed  the  stream  only  to  fall  into  an  ambus 
cade.  Tories  or  troops — they  could  not  at  the 
moment  determine  which — were  in  the  strip  of 
low  ground  through  which  Roger  had  been 
confident  of  escape,  and  his  party  was  com 
pletely  hemmed  in. 

"  What  are  we  going  to  do  now,"  asked  one 
of  the  men,  a  new  recruit  who  had  seen  nothing 
of  war. 

3°3 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  We  are  going  to  die  like  men  if  we  can't  do 
anything  better,"  said  Barnegal,  who  was  now 
thoroughly  aroused ;  "  but  we  are  going  to  fight 
like  devils  first." 


3°4 


XXIV 

IN  WHICH 

an    enthusiastic  YOUNG    GENTLEMAN     saves      a 

HUNDRED  GUINEAS 

OGER  ALTON  was  accustomed  to 
carry  a  perfectly  cool  head  upon  his 
broad  shoulders  under  all  circum- 
'stances.  Being  a  not  ve'ry  imaginative 
young  man,  and  being  possessed  of  an  ex 
cellent  digestion,  it  was  never  his  habit  to 
exaggerate  dangers  which  must  be  encoun 
tered  unseen.  He  calculated  probabilities  and 
weighed  facts  with  the  utmost  precision,  but 
he  added  little  to  the  probabilities  and  nothing 
to  the  facts  by  excited  conjecture.  Half 
a  dozen  musket  balls  coming  from  a  thicket 
meant  to  him  half  a  dozen  men  certainly, 
or  perhaps  a  few  more,  as  circumstances  might 
indicate.  And  by  "  men "  in  the  military 
sense  he  understood  so  many  frightened  fel 
lows  who  fired  at  random  quite  half  of  the  time 
and  usually  too  high  to  do  any  damage.  He 
knew,  as  every  soldier  does,  that  a  bullet  whose 

3°5 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

whistling  sounded  in  his  ears  was  harmless, 
having  already  passed  him  by,  but  unlike  per 
sons  of  less  steady  nerves  he  held  this  knowl 
edge  practically,  and  gave  no  heed  whatever  to 
such  escaped  dangers.  Better  than  all,  he  was 
too  manly  a  fellow  to  care  particularly  for 
danger  of  death  in  so  good  a  cause,  and  so  he 
gave  himself  no  concern  in  peril,  on  his  own 
account  at  least. 

War  was  to  him  a  grand  game  in  which 
manhood  and  liberty  were  the  stakes.  He 
played  to  win  these,,  recking  little  of  the  pawns 
it  might  be  necessary  to  sacrifice  to  the  winning 
of  the  game,  even  though  one  of  those  pawns 
should  chance  to  be  named  Roger  Alton.  But 
he  knew  the  value  of  the  pawns,  too,  and  he 
took  care  to  throw  none  away  uselessly,  where 
fore  he  was  careful  so  to  dispose  his  men  at 
the  present  moment  as  to  screen  them  pretty  ef 
fectually  from  the  fire,  a  task  rendered  easier 
by  the  oncoming  of  night. 

"  Halt  the  men  here,  Barnegal,"  said  Roger, 
"  while  I  go  forward  and  see  how  matters 
stand.  Let  no  man  reply  to  the  fire  of  the  en 
emy.  Let  us  keep  them  in  ignorance  and  per 
haps  in  terror  too.  I  will  return  presently." 
Then  tossing  his  bridle  to  a  trooper,  he  walked 
away.  The  musket  flashes  followed  each  other 

306 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

in  rapid  and  regular  succession,  wherefore 
Roger  assumed  that  his  enemy  on  this  side  of 
the  river  was  a  body  of  regulars,  but  by  a  care 
ful  noting  of  the  points  from  which  the  shots 
came,  he  speedily  discovered  that  their  num 
bers  were  not  very  large,  probably  thirty  or  for 
ty  in  all,  and  that  their  line  was  a  thin  one 
stretched  over  a  great  deal  more  ground  than 
it  could  properly  hold.  The  men  were  placed 
in  a  semi-circle  with  flanks  resting  on  the  river. 
To  accomplish  this  they  stood  at  intervals  of 
twenty  or  thirty  feet,  as  Roger  discovered  by 
observing  their  fire. 

"  They  are  attempting  too  much,"  he  said  to 
his  lieutenant  on  his  return.  "  They  are  afraid 
to  charge  us  in  the  dark.  Their  line  is  a  very 
thin  one  and  we  will  break  through  it.  I  will 
take  half  the  men,  while  you  keep  the  rest  here 
in  absolute  silence.  When  I  attack,  the  red 
coats  will  thicken  up  their  line  over  there  on  the 
right  and  you  can  break  through  at  the  other 
end.  If  I  don't  get  through  1  will  wheel  about 
and  follow  you." 

The  plan  seemed  the  best  one  possible  under 
the  circumstances,  and  after  agreeing  upon  a 
rendezvous  Roger  led  half  the  men  to  the  at 
tack.  When  he  was  but  a  hundred  yards  from 
the  river  bank,  the  enemy  rapidly  contracted 

3°7 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

their  line  toward  the  point  of  his  attack  and 
when  he  rode  forward  at  a  gallop  received  him 
with  a  heavy  fire  which  checked  his  advance 
very  decidedly.  He  might  even  yet  have  bro 
ken  through,  however,  if  the  distance  between 
him  and  the  British  had  been  great  enough  to 
admit  of  his  regaining  speed — for  in  charging 
through  infantry  a  body  of  horsemen  must  de 
pend  chiefly  upon  momentum.  As  it  was  he 
quickly  wheeled  about  in  the  direction  of  the 
point  where  Barnegal  had  succeeded  in  break 
ing  through. 

Unluckily,  the  commander  of  the  British 
force  appears  to  have  been  a  quick-witted  fel 
low.  When  Barnegal  escaped  on  the  left, 
Roger's  whole  plan  was  revealed  to  his  enemy, 
and  that  enemy,  rightly  judging  that  Roger's 
party  alone  remained  within  his  toils,  sharply 
contracted  his  line  all  around,  narrowing  his 
semi-circle  to  a  quarter  of  its  former  length, 
and  so  strengthening  it  at  all  points. 

A  heavy  fire  at  short  range  greeted  the  par 
tisans  now  from  every  side  except  from  the  riv 
er  in  the  rear.  Our  young  man's  case  seemed 
indeed  desperate.  Barnegal,  observing  the  fact 
that  the  fire  increased  instead  of  ceasing, 
wheeled  about  and  attempted  to  go  to  his 
friend's  rescue,  by  breaking  into  the  semi-cir- 

308 


cle  out  of  which  he  had  just  succeeded  in  forc 
ing  his  way,  but  he  dared  not  use  his  rifles  lest 
Roger's  party  should  suffer.  He  rode  forward 
and  succeeded  in  drawing  attention  to  himself 
from  that  part  of  the  line  at  which  Roger's 
first  attack  had  been  made. 

"  Come,  boys,  this  is  our  opportunity ! " 
cried  Roger.  "  Barnegal  will  hold  their  atten 
tion  for  a  minute  or  two,  long  enough  to  let  us 
swim  past.  Follow  me." 

Bullet  plunged  into  the  stream.  The  rest 
followed;  and  as  horses  swimming  make  no 
noise  after  the  first  plunge,  the  point  of  dan 
ger  was  passed  without  discovery. 

Barnegal  was  still  busy  and  the  British  were 
still  pouring  a  heavy  fire  into  the  empty  thicket 
whence  the  patriots  had  escaped  down  the  river, 
when  Roger's  party,  having  made  land  below, 
galloped  up  and  joined  Barnegal's  in  safety. 

"  It  is  time  to  die  like  men,"  shouted  Barne 
gal.  "  I  am  going  to  break  through  that  line 
or  lose  every  man  trying.  /  have  a  hundred 
golden  guineas  that  belong  to  the  man  who  first 
shakes  Roger  Alton's  hand!  " 

"  Well,  that  man  is  Charles  Barnegal,"  said 
Roger,  coming  up  and  shaking  hands  with  his 
friend.  "  Attention  men !  Follow  me !  " 

The  command  was  untechnical,  but  five  min- 

3°9 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

utes'  riding  served  to  put  the  little  band  out  of 
danger  in  the  depths  of  the  great  swamp. 
Three  or  four  of  them  carried  British  bullets  in 
their  bodies,  but  not  one  had  fallen  from  his 
saddle,  and  not  one  was  sufficiently  hurt  to  re 
quire  more  of  attention  than  the  rude,  amateur 
surgery  of  a  partisan  camp  could  furnish. 


310 


XXV 

CAPTAIN  JACK'S  DEVICES 

rHE  distressing  situation  which  Mrs. 
Vargave  had  foreshadowed  when 
Roger  was  first  at  Lonsdale  had 
now  come  upon  the  Carolinas.  Systematic 
war  had  been  changed  to  that  crudest 
of  all  things  known,  a  civil  war,  in  which 
neighbor  was  arrayed  against  neighbor,  and 
private  vengeance  sometimes  played  a  larger 
part  than  conviction  of  any  sort  in  in 
spiring  action.  Men  of  the  baser  sort  every 
where  had  sought  security  for  themselves  by 
yielding  allegiance  to  Great  Britain.  They  had 
hoped  thus  to  make  an  end  of  war  in  the  south, 
and  rest  securely  at  their  ease.  In  this  hope 
they  were  disappointed. 

The  patriots,  as  we  have  seen,  were  not  yet 
ready  to  give  up  the  struggle.  Soon  after  Rog 
er  Alton's  band  began  its  work  of  annoyance, 
other  such  bodies  were  called  into  being  in  dif 
ferent  parts  of  the  state.  Among  these  was  the 

311 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

little  force  rallied  by  Sumter  which  under  in 
spiration  of  his  repeated  victories  was  soon 
swelled  into  a  strong  brigade  of  six  hundred 
men  or  more. 

The  British  too  were  completely  disappoint 
ed.  When  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  having  captured 
Charles  Town,  sailed  away  north  leaving 
Cornwallis  in  command  of  four  thousand 
troops,  it  was  his  confident  expectation  that  the 
tories  would  speedily  form  a  force  in  Carolina 
sufficiently  strong  to  keep  that  state  in  perma 
nent  subjection  without  the  aid  of  regulars. 
It  was  his  plan  when  that  should  occur  to  have 
Cornwallis  push  northwards  to  the  conquest  of 
North  Carolina  and  Virginia,  but  the  parti 
sans  checked  and  delayed  this  movement  seri 
ously.  And  meantime,  Washington  soon  sent 
an  army  of  Continentals  and  militia  back  into 
the  state  which,  under  Gates,  at  first  and  later 
under  Greene,  speedily  revived  the  war  there 
upon  regular  lines. 

All  this  while  the  tories  were  organizing 
and  marauding,  partly  for  the  purpose  of  over 
awing  the  whigs,  but  in  many  cases  with  a 
larger  view  to  personal  vengeance  upon  offend 
ing  neighbors,  to  the  persecution  of  whigs,  the 
destruction  of  property,  and  in  some  cases, 
plain  unvarnished  robbery.  It  is  to  the  credit 

312 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

of  the  little  bands  of  partisans  that,  although 
the  organized  and  fighting  tories  outnumber 
ed  them  considerably,  the  patriot  cause  at  no 
time  ceased  to  be  the  dominant  one  in  status 
and  in  achievement.  Marion  and  Pickens  soon 
added  their  tremendous  vigor  to  that  of  Sum- 
ter  and  the  smaller  patriotic  bands. 

Thus  the  whole  state  was  plunged  into  cease 
less,  merciless,  cruel  civil  war.  It  was  a  fear 
ful  price  to  pay,  but  its  reward  of  independ 
ence  amply  made  it  good.  For  while  Corn- 
wallis  was  usually  victorious  in  formal  fights, 
he  was  baffled  and  beaten  on  his  road  to  Vir 
ginia,  and  rested  at  last  at  Yorktown  more  in 
the  attitude  of  a  commander  seeking  refuge 
for  his  over-matched  army  than  as  a  victor 
whose  purpose  is  accomplished.  On  the  other 
hand,  he  had  left  behind  him  in  the  Carolinas 
a  patriot  force  under  Greene  which,,  within  a 
year  or  a  little  more  soon  practically  reconquer 
ed  the  state.  And  long  before  a  treaty  of  peace 
was  made,  the  Carolinians  had  the  joy  of  see 
ing  the  British  driven  out  of  their  capital,  and 
the  authority  of  their  state  restored. 

All  this  is  a  wonder-story  of  heroism,  daring, 
and  almost  inconceivable  endurance.  It  is 
told  in  history,  in  song  and  in  story.  It  is  no 
part  of  the  present  writer's  task  to  repeat  it 

3*3 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

here  beyond  this  meagre  outline.  But  all  this 
came  later  than  the  present  stage  of  our  story. 
At  present  all  was  blackness  and  night,  and  the 
torch  of  liberty  was  kept  dimly  burning  only 
by  such  bands  as  that  of  Roger  Alton. 

Roger  Alton's  force  fluctuated  in  numbers  as 
did  all  the  little  patriot  bands  of  that  time. 
Men  were  killed  and  other  men  took  their 
places.  Men  were  drawn  off  by  one  consider 
ation  or  another  for  service  elsewhere.  Rog 
er's  force  was  sometimes  depleted  in  this  and 
other  ways  until  it  scarcely  amounted  to  a 
squad.  At  other  times  it  was  swelled  to  pro 
portions  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  fight  consid 
erable  actions. 

When  he  had  first  gone  out  in  this  way, 
Marlborough  had  come  to  him  with  an  earnest, 
almost  a  tearful  petition  to  go  with  him. 

"  Why,  Marlborough,  I  shall  be  but  a  poor 
hunted  swamp  fox,  a  soldier  in  arms,  living  as 
best  I  can,  and  dispensing  with  all  the  luxu 
ries  of  life.  I  cannot  afford  to  go  about  with 
a  serving  man  like  a  fine  gentleman ;  for  I  am 
no  longer  that;  I'm  only  a  plain,  simple,  hard- 
living  and  hard-fighting  soldier." 

"  But,  Mas'  Roger,"  broke  in  the  negro, 
"  you  want  men  and  you  can't  get  'nuff  of  'em. 
I  could  be  a  soldier  as  well  as  your  servant  and 

3H 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

I  could  be  both  at  the  same  time.  If  you  will  let 
me  go  with  you,  I'll  promise  you  I  will  fight  as 
hard  as  anybody  in  the  company.  And  when 
the  fightin's  over,  I  will  look  after  your  hosses 
and  your  boots,  sir,  and  if  you  should  get 
wounded  again,  you  would  need  me  to  see  to  it 
that  you  didn't  die  o'  neglect.  The  poor  white 
gentlemen  that  you's  mostly  got  with  you  don't 
know  how  to  take  care  o'  a  gentleman  when 
he's  sick  or  wounded.  Thank  the  Lord,  I've 
been  brought  up  to  know.  You'll  let  me  go 
with  you,  won't  you,  Mas'  Roger  ?  " 

Roger  thought  the  matter  over.  He  did  in 
deed  need  every  extra  man  that  he  could  get, 
and  here  was  Marlborough,  strong,  hardy, 
willing,  and  certainly  courageous.  Why  not 
make  a  soldier  of  him?  There  was  not  only 
nothing  in  the  law  of  Carolina  to  forbid  that, 
but  on  the  contrary,  the  statutes  there  had  long 
sought  to  encourage  the  enlistment  of  faithful 
negroes  as  soldiers  for  the  state's  defence.  It 
had  been  enacted  that  men  of  color  might  be 
enlisted  in  any  company  up  to  the  limit  of  one- 
half  the  company's  total  number.  It  had  been 
further  provided  by  law  that  the  master  of  any 
slave  who  should  refuse  to  permit  his  enlist 
ment  should  be  liable  to  criminal  prosecution 
and  punishment.  The  ability  of  negro  troops 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

to  "  fight  nobly  "  and  their  willingness  to  fight 
for  the  country  which  they  have  always  regard 
ed  as  their  own,  is  no  new  thing  in  the  history 
of  this  land.  From  the  beginning  indeed  the 
better  men  among  the  negroes  have  been  will 
ing  volunteers  in  the  country's  defence  when 
ever  permitted  that  privilege  of  manhood.  An 
drew  Jackson  fully  realized  this,  and  when  at 
New  Orleans  he  was  called  upon  to  improvise 
a  ragamuffin  army  with  which  to  repel  the  as 
sault  of  12,000  of  Wellington's  choicest  troops 
under  command  of  no  less  a  general  than  Sir 
Edward  Packenham,  one  of  his  first  acts  was 
to  issue  a  proclamation  calling  upon  the  ne 
groes  to  volunteer  in  defence  of  the  city. 

Marlborough  became  Captain  Alton's  sol 
dier-servant. 

In  such  warfare  as  this  in  Carolina,  where 
one's  neighbors  chiefly  constituted  his  enemies, 
and  where  the  movements  of  small  bands — 
either  of  tories  or  of  troops — gave  opportu 
nity  now  and  then  for  the  delivery  of  a  blow, 
means  of  securing  information,  accurate, 
prompt,  and  trustworthy,  became  a  matter  of 
the  first  importance.  To  this  part  of  the  serv 
ice  Jacqueline  devoted  herself.  She  lovingly 
said  to  her  brother  on  the  occasion  of  one  of  his 
early  visits  to  Alton  House : 

316 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  I  know  you  do  not  think  me  of  any  ac 
count,  Roger,  because  I  am  a  woman,  and  a 
woman  cannot  fight;  or  at  least  you  think  she 
cannot.  If  you  would  let  me,  I  would  soon 
show  you  how  far  you  are  wrong,  but  you 
won't,  so  there's  an  end  of  that.  But  I  can  be 
of  the  utmost  service  to  you.  I  am  going  to  be 
your  chief  spy.  I  am  going  to  know  whatever 
happens  in  this  whole  region  of  country,  and  I 
am  going  to  inform  you  of  it  with  all  possible 
dispatch.  I  have  been  working  out  a  system 
by  which  I  can  communicate  with  you.  Un 
der  cover  of  my  plantation  duties,  which,  now 
that  you  have  taken  away  all  the  overseers  to 
serve  as  soldiers,  are  greatly  multiplied  and  di 
versified,  so  that  I  have  to  go  to  distant  black 
smiths'  shops  and  other  places  where  men 
gather  and  gab,  I  shall  be  able  to  pick  up  all  the 
information  you  want.  The  point  is  to  be  able 
to  communicate  it  to  you  without  revealing 
your  whereabouts  when  you  desire  your  where 
abouts  to  remain  unknown.  I  have  been  think 
ing  it  over,  Roger,  for  a  long,  long  time,  and  I 
think  I  have  perfected  a  plan.  If  you  will  give 
me  an  hour  or  so,  we  can  work  it  out  together." 

Just  then  came  one  of  Roger's  men  riding  at 
a  furious  pace  to  announce  that  a  squad  of 
tories  was  plundering  a  plantation  ten  miles 

317 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

away.  There  was  no  time  to  stop  for  the  per 
fection  of  Jacqueline's  plan,  but  before  riding 
away  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  Roger  said  to 
her: 

"  Go  every  night  at  ten  o'clock  to  the  little 
lake  in  the  swamp  down  yonder.  I  will  meet 
you  there  sooner  or  later — as  soon  as  I  can. 
Your  idea  is  an  excellent  one.  We  must  per 
fect  it  and  put  it  in  operation.  Until  I  see  you 
there,  good-by,  dear,"  and  off  he  went  at  the 
head  of  his  handful  of  men. 

It  was  two  nights  later  when  Jacqueline  rode 
into  the  little  semi-circular  opening  down  by  the 
lake  in  the  swamp  where  Roger  was  broiling 
some  bacon  on  the  end  of  a  stick.  He  was 
quite  alone,  having  placed  his  camp  at  some 
distance  away  as  a  measure  of  prudence,  and 
having  come  hither  in  the  hope  of  meeting  his 
sister.  The  two  sat  down  together  by  the  fire, 
and  Jacqueline  outlined  her  plan. 

"  First  of  all,"  she  said,  "  I  shall  never  sign 
anything.  You  will  understand  that,  and  when 
I  have  time  to  put  a  message  into  cipher,  I'll 
do  it  in  this  way." 

Then  followed  an  account  of  her  simple 
cipher  device,  which  she  had  made  as  free  as 
possible  from  puzzling  and  time-wasting  com 
plexities.  In  a  little  while  she  had  made  her 

3,8 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

brother  as  familiar  as  she  herself  was  with  the 
methods  to  be  employed  in  writing  and  reading 
messages. 

When  she  had  done  explaining  the  cipher, 
she  resumed. 

"  Sometimes  I  shall  not  have  time  to  use 
cipher.  You  see,  my  dear  brother,  you  are 
only  my  brother,  not  my  lover.  If  you  were 
my  lover,  I,  as  a  well  brought  up  young  wo 
man  should  have  all  the  time  necessary  to 
make  my  letters  to  you  as  full  and  as  nonsen 
sical  as  possible.  As  you  are  only  my  brother, 
I  will  always  come  straight  to  the  point,  and 
spend  as  little  time  as  possible  in  preparing  my 
missives.  So  there  now.  Do  not  imagine 
that  even  my  love  for  you  puts  you  on  the  plane 
of  a  sweetheart." 

With  that  she  mischievously  kissed  him  and 
Roger  kissed  her  in  return.  "  Now  then, 
dear,"  she  said,  "  I  have  a  lot  more  to  explain, 
and  must  not  stop  to  make  love.  First  of  all  I 
want  a  little  powder.  Can  you  spare  me  some 
for  my  pistols?  Secondly,  the  next  time  you 
make  a  foray,  I  want  you  to  capture  half  a 
dozen  or  a  dozen  guns  for  me.  I  want  them  in 
the  house?  " 

"  But  who's  to  use  them,  Jack?  " 

"  Oh,  my  young  negroes.     I  have  organized 

3*9 


-    A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

the  most  patriotic  little  band  of  pickaninnies 
you  ever  saw  in  your  life.  There  are  a  dozen 
or  twenty  of  them  ranging  in  age  from  twelve 
to  fifteen  years.  I  taught  them  all  how  to  read 
a  while  ago,  and  I  have  taught  them  many 
other  things.  They  are  devoted  to  me,  Roger. 
You  wouldn't  think  it,  because  I  am  a  hard 
mistress  you  know."  Roger  laughed  at  this. 
"  Yes  I  am ;  I  am  very  hard.  I  always  insist 
upon  having  everybody  tell  me  the  truth,  and 
you  know  the  young  negroes  don't  like  to  do 
that,  but  I  am  very  rigid,  Roger,  very  rigid. 
Still  they  like  me,  and  they  will  do  what  I  tell 
them  to.  Best  of  all  I  have  taught  them  to  like 
you.  I  have  taught  them  that  to  render  you 
any  service  is  to  distinguish  themselves  and 
win  my  highest  favor.  Now  it  seems  to  me 
that  in  the  course  of  your  campaigning  around 
here  you  are  making  a  good  many  rather  bad 
enemies,  and  some  of  these  days  they  may 
conclude  to  take  vengeance  in  some  way  at  Al 
ton  House " 

"  Just  let  them  try  that,"  said  Roger.  "  If 
they  ever  do,,  I  will  give  them  cause  to  remem 
ber  it  the  longest  day  that  a  single  man  jack 
of  them  lives.  Be  sure  of  that,  dear." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  know,"  she  answered,  "  but  at 
the  same  time  an  ounce  of  prevention  is  better 

320 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

than  a  pound  of  cure,  so  I  want  the  guns.  I  am 
drilling  my  little  squad  every  day  with  sticks. 
When  I  get  real  guns  for  them  and  actual  am 
munition,  I  will  train  them  to  expect  an  assault 
upon  Alton  House,  and  when  it  comes,  they 
will  know  exactly  how  to  repel  it.  I  have 
studied  out  every  point  of  vantage,  from  which 
a  fellow  can  shoot  with  the  least  possible  danger 
of  getting  shot,  and  I  will  show  them  just  where 
to  go  when  the  fighting  comes.  I  will  be  there 
to  captain  them,  be  sure  of  that.  Don't  you 
think  it's  a  good  plan,  Roger  ?  " 

"  A  very  excellent  plan,  Jack,"  he  answered 
meditatively,  "  and  as  for  the  guns,  why  I  know 
where  to  get  them  within  the  next  twenty-four 
hours.  I  was  going  after  them  anyhow,  not 
to  get  the  guns — for  we  have  enough — but 
to  stir  up  the  fellows  that  have  them.  I  will 
have  them  brought  away  and  delivered  at  Al 
ton  House.  And  now,  dear,,  go  on  with  what 
you  had  to  say." 

"Yes,  Roger;  you  must  not  interrupt  so 
much.  I  have  a  lot  of  things  to  tell  you.  I 
am  going  to  establish  a  post  office  department. 
There  are  a  great  many  hollow  trees  in  the 
swamps  and  elsewhere,  and  every  hollow  tree  is 
my  post  office — at  least  every  one  that  I  mark. 
I  have  got  a  little  hatchet  here,  and  when  I 

321 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

mark  three  cuts  on  the  smooth  side  of  a  tree 
that  has  an  opening  on  the  other  side,  you  will 
recognize  that  as  one  of  my  post  offices.  So  all 
you  have  got  to  do  is  to  look  out  for  the  three 
little  cuts  like  this,  do  you  see?  "  and  with  her 
hatchet  she  scored,  much  as  a  surveyor  might 
do  with  a  witness  tree.  "  You  will  find  this 
wherever  you  go.  I  will  always  have  a  post 
office  within  reach,  so  wherever  you  are,  you 
can  send  one  of  your  men  or  come  yourself  and 
get  one  of  my  little  billets  doux." 

"  Where  did  you  get  the  idea,  Jack  ?  "  asked 
Roger,  who  was  disposed  to  conversation. 

"  Oh,  I  got  it  out  of  a  book.  It  was  the  story 
of  a  lovelorn  maiden  who  was  baffled  by  wicked 
aunts  and  uncles  and  fathers  and  all  that  sort  of 
thing,  and  not  allowed  to  see  her  lover  or  to 
communicate  with  him.  She  set  up  a  little 
post  office  of  this  kind  and  kept  it  up  until  she 
was  caught  at  it.  Now  maybe  I  will  get  caught 
at  it  after  a  while,  just  as  she  was,  but  if  I  am 
the  penalty  won't  be  the  same  that  she  suf 
fered,  because  they  sent  her  to  a  convent. 
They  won't  send  me  to  a  convent.  I  wonder 
what  they  would  do  to  me.  Never  mind,  I 
won't  be  caught.  If  I  am  you  will  come  for 
me,  won't  you  ?  " 

"  Come  for  you  ?  To  the  ends  of  the  earth, 

322 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Jack,"  Roger  replied  with  enthusiasm,  "  and  I 
will  bring  some  fellows  with  me  that  would  go 
through  fire  and  water  and  lightning  and  what 
ever  else  you  can  think  of,  including  a  volcano, 
to  rescue  my  sister.  But  you  mustn't  get 
caught  Jack.  Be  very  careful.  When  you 
have  time,  put  your  missives  always  into  print 
ing  letters.  Nobody  can  recognize  your  writ 
ing  then  for  it  will  not  be  a  hand  writing  but  a 
hand  printing.  And  do  not  write  except  when 
you  must.  Another  thing;  sometimes  it  will 
be  more  convenient  to  meet  me.  I  don't  know 
where  I  shall  be,  but  you  will  generally  know, 
and  I  will  let  you  know  as  often  as  I  can.  Let's 
agree  upon  a  way  of  doing  that." 

"  Oh,  you  stupid,"  she  said,  "  do  you  think 
I  have  overlooked  that  ?  Why  I  have  got  it  all 
down  as  fine  as  possible.  I  have  worked  it  all 
out.  Now  let  me  tell  you  about  it.  When 
you  are  going  along  a  road,  and  you  find  a  twig 
bent  down  on  one  of  the  overhanging  trees, 
look  a  little  further  along  the  road  and  see  if 
you  find  two  more  twigs  bent  down  on  two 
other  trees.  You  see  anybody  might  accident 
ally  bend  a  twig  down,  and  that  might  mislead 
you ;  but  if  three  twigs  are  bent  down  not  more 
than  three  or  four  trees  apart  you  will  know 
that  Jack  did  it.  And  it  means  look  out  for 

323 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

me.  Then  if  you  are  in  this  swamp,  you  are 
to  take  your  knife  and  cut  a  triangle  out  of  a 
big  leaf.  You  are  to  stick  that  on  one  of  the 
trees  whose  twigs  I  have  bent  down.  That  will 
mean  to  me :  '  Meet  me  in  the  swamp.'  And 
I  will  come  here.  If  you  are  not  here  I  will 
hunt  for  you." 

So  she  went  on  with  one  detail  after  another 
of  a  complete  code  of  signaling  and  communica 
tion.  It  is  not  necessary  to  record  here  her 
further  devices  for  rendering  communication 
easy  between  herself  and  her  brother.  It  is 
sufficient  to  say  that  the  system  was  wrought 
out  with  an  ingenious  simplicity  which 
prompted  Roger  to  say : 

"  You  are  a  wonder,  Jack.  You  have  a 
positive  genius  for  intrigue.  I  wonder  where 
you  got  it?  " 

"  Well,  genius  was  perhaps  born  in  me,  but 
I  got  my  ideas  of  intrigue  pretty  nearly  all  out 
of  my  novels.  I  must  'fess  up,  Roger.  I  am 
an  awful  reader  of  novels,  and  I  like  the  bloody 
ones  best.  I  like  those  that  have  dark,  under 
ground  chambers  and  passageways,  and  I  have 
been  thinking  whether  I  could  not  make  a  pas 
sageway  underground — I  would  if  it  weren't 
so  damp — between  Alton  House  and  the  swamp 
here.  However,  we  will  have  an  overground 

324 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

communication  quite  as  good.  Never  mind 
that  now,  I  have  got  to  go  back.  No,  you  shall 
not  escort  me.  I  know  what  you  were  going 
to  say,"  she  added,  as  he  rose  with  evident  pur 
pose  to  summon  some  of  his  band.  "  No,  I  can 
go  back  alone.  It  is  not  proper  for  me  to  as 
sociate  with  you.  You  are  a  rebel.  You  are 
an  outlaw.  You  have  a  price  upon  your  head, 
I  suppose.  At  any  rate  there  ought  to  be. 
Your  head  would  be  cheap  at  any  price.  You 
are  a  traitor  to  your  king.  It  won't  do  at  all 
for  a  respectable  young  woman  like  me  to  be 
seen  in  your  company.  I  will  communicate 
with  you  only  in  secret.  Good-night,  Roger." 
With  that  she  sprang  upon  the  black  mare 
which  she  usually  rode  at  night  and  disappeared 
in  the  thick  undergrowth. 


325 


XXVI 

IN  the  HANDS  of  the  ENEMY 

rOUNG  Barnegal  had  been  for  some 
weeks  absent  from  Roger's  camp. 
Roger  had  sent  him  early  in  the 
summer  to  find  Governor  Rutledge,  who  was 
on  the  borders  of  North  Carolina,  planning 
ceaselessly  night  and  day  for  stirring  up  as 
much  of  resistance  as  possible  in  the  state  over 
which  he  was  dictator.  Roger  desired  to  re 
ceive  whatever  of  suggestion  Governor  Rut- 
ledge  might  feel  inclined  to  give  him  with  re 
gard  to  the  conduct  of  his  own  little  war  in  the 
swamp  country.  He  desired  also  to  learn  what 
plans  others  were  to  carry  out  and  in  what 
ways  he  could  best  co-operate.  In  the  mean 
time,  Roger  had  continued  his  forays  for 
fifty  miles  or  more  round  about  his  swamp 
headquarters,  meeting  Jacqueline  often,  receiv 
ing  news  from  her  upon  which  he  based  his 
activities,  and  carrying  out  even  more  fully 
than  she  had  intended,  her  plan  of  arming  Al 
ton  House. 

326 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

The  young  lady  had  been  many  times  stopped 
and  questioned  by  officers  of  Tarleton's  legion, 
out  on  foray  duty,  and  still  more  frequently  had 
she  been  warned  by  tories  of  her  own  neighbor 
hood  that  her  movements  were  watched,  and 
that  unless  she  ceased  what  they  believed  to  be 
her  activity  in  the  patriot  cause,  she  was  likely 
to  get  herself  into  serious  trouble.  She  par 
ried  all  questions  by  frivolous  answers.  She 
assumed  the  lightheartedness  and  lightheaded- 
ness  of  a  chattering  young  girl  who  has  never 
had  a  serious  thought  in  her  mind,  and  to  a 
considerable  degree  she  managed  in  this  way 
to  disarm  suspicion.  She  said  to  Roger  once 
when  she  met  him  by  appointment : 

"  You  cannot  imagine,  Roger,  what  a  silly 
little  chatterbox  you  have  for  a  sister.  Oh, 
I  have  cultivated  all  the  art  of  it.  I  have 
studied  up  speeches  out  of  my  novels.  I  have 
them  pat  and  ready  for  use  whenever  anybody 
questions  me." 

Nevertheless,  Mistress  Jacqueline  Alton  was 
under  serious  suspicion,  and  this  suspicion  sud 
denly  began  to  manifest  itself  in  new  and  rather 
startling  ways.  For  Tiger  Bill,  to  whom  hatred 
was  the  one  inspiring  motive  of  action,  had 
by  this  time  become  a  notorious  loyalist.  He 
had  scattered  his  money  right  and  left  as  freely 

327 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

almost  as  his  cynicisms,  and  both  had  been  em 
ployed  to  discredit  the  patriot  cause  and  to  in 
duce  his  neighbors  of  every  degree — but  par 
ticularly  the  lower  degrees — to  take  active 
part  in  tory  warfare.  It  was  believed  by  those 
who  knew  him  best  that  Tiger  Bill  heartily 
hated  all  mankind,  but  his  special  hatred  was 
against  his  reputable  and  patriotic  neighbors, 
and  particularly  against  those  of  Alton  House. 
Had  not  Geoffrey  Alton  been  his  enemy 
through  life?  Had  not  Roger  Alton  been  the 
bearer  of  young  Barnegal's  challenge  to  him? 
Had  he  not  been  a  witness  of  his  humiliation 
and  horsewhipping  at  the  hands  of  his  nephew  ? 
Could  there  be  a  sweeter  revenge  to  Tiger  Bill 
than  that  of  persecuting  these,  his  special  ene 
mies? 

In  this  mood  of  mind,  Tiger  Bill  had  suc 
ceeded  at  great  expense  to  himself  in  setting  on 
foot  a  tory  band  whose  duty  it  was  to  persecute 
those  against  whom  he  cherished  the  bitterest 
personal  malice.  He  was  shrewd  enough  to 
discover  the  part  that  Jacqueline  was  playing, 
and  it  seemed  to  him  to  offer  an  opportunity  for 
a  most  satisfactory  revenge.  If  he  could  get 
this  young  woman  into  limbo,  and  perhaps  even 
get  her  hanged  as  a  spy,  or  failing  that,  incar 
cerated  in  company  with  the  lowest  criminals 

328 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

in  some  jail,  he  felt  that  his  malice  would  be 
gratified  beyond  anything  that  he  had  ever 
known. 

Jacqueline  reported  the  situation  to  her 
brother  by  letter  and  in  person  as  fully  as  she 
might.  She  desired  not  unduly  to  alarm  him, 
but  it  was  necessary  to  explain  to  him  the  ex 
traordinary  precautions  that  she  must  now  take 
in  communicating  with  him.  Roger,  with  that 
bluff  determination  which  was  his  chief  char 
acteristic,  made  eager  inquiry  as  to  the  band 
organized  under  Tiger  Bill's  inspiration.  "  I 
will  find  it,"  he  said,  "  and  crush  it;  and  failing 
that,  I  will  go  and  hang  Tiger  Bill  himself  to 
the  biggest  tree  on  his  plantation.  He  is  too 
great  a  coward  I  suppose  to  take  the  field  him 
self.  He  is  the  sneak  that  sets  the  others  on. 
Perhaps  the  best  way  to  discourage  the  activi 
ties  of  his  tories  would  be  to  hang  him  and  thus 
deprive  them  of  his  inspiration,  and  of  the 
devilish  ingenuity  of  his  suggestions.  I  will 
do  it,  Jack." 

"  But  you  cannot,  brother,"  she  answered. 
"  He  is  not  to  be  found.  He  has  taken  pains 
as  I  have  ascertained,  to  absent  himself  from  his 
plantation,  and  to  hide  himself  securely  against 
possible  vengeance." 

"  Still,  I  may  be  able  to  find  him,"  said 

329 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Roger.  "  I  will  try  anyhow.  Barnegal  re 
turned  this  afternoon.  I  will  leave  him  in 
charge  of  my  party  and  go  myself  on  a  recon 
naissance.  While  I  am  gone  you  may  com 
municate  with  Barnegal  by  the  same  means 
that  you  use  in  sending  messages  to  me.  I 
have  explained  the  system  to  him,  and  he  knows 
it  perfectly.  In  the  event  of  any  need,  call  up 
on  him.  I  think  you  know  him  well  enough 
to  know  how  gladly  he  will  respond,  especially 
if  the  need  happens  to  be  to  protect  you,  my 
sister,  from  danger." 

So  the  two  parted,  and  before  morning  Roger 
was  twenty-five  miles  away  in  search  of  in 
formation  as  to  Tiger  Bill's  whereabouts.  He 
had  one  piece  of  information  at  this  time  which 
was  of  unusual  value  to  him.  He  knew  all 
the  men  in  the  region  round  about  who  were 
tories  by  profession,  for  one  reason  or  another, 
but  were  patriots  at  heart.  He  could  go  to 
them  and  secure  information  which  no  avowed 
patriot  could  give  him.  It  was  his  mission 
now  to  find  out  from  them,  and  especially  from 
those  of  them  who  were  members  in  name  at 
least  of  Tiger  Bill's  company,  where  that 
gentleman  might  'be  hiding. 

But  while  Roger  was  riding  away  in  one  di 
rection,  a  squad  of  Tiger  Bill's  men  was  wait- 

330 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

ing  for  Jacqueline  in  another.  That  young 
woman  had  ridden  less  than  half  an  hour  after 
parting  with  her  brother,  before  she  was  sud 
denly  halted  and  surrounded  in  the  middle  of 
a  road  by  thirty  or  forty  as  desperate  fellows 
as  were  ever  engaged  in  an  evil  enterprise. 
She  was  seized  violently,  a  gag  was  thrust  into 
her  mouth,  her  arms  were  pinioned,  and  her 
feet  tied  together.  She  had  no  time  even  to 
cry  out.  If  she  had  cried  there  would  have 
been  none  to  hear. 

But  as  the  party  rode  away  with  her,  a  lurk 
ing  figure  rose  from  the  underbrush  near  by, 
darted  quickly  across  the  road  and  into  the 
swamp.  For  five  miles  he  ran,  scarring  him 
self  in  contact  with  cypress  knees,  tearing  his 
clothes  from  his  person  and  his  skin  from  his 
flesh  among  the  brambles,  knocking  himself 
prostrate  a  dozen  times  in  the  darkness  by  con 
tact  with  the  tree  branches  and  overhanging 
vines  which  make  those  swamps  so  nearly  im 
penetrable.  He  swam  across  streams  and 
pushed  through  mires  that  a  prudent  man 
would  hardly  attempt  in  the  brightest  daylight. 
Obviously  he  knew  the  shortest  way  and  he 
took  it. 

In  half  an  hour  Marlborough — for  it  was  he 
— broke  through  the  bushes  and  into  Roger's 

331 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

camp,  bleeding,  torn,  disheveled  and  desperate 
ly  excited.  Finding  that  Roger  was  no  longer 
there,  he  quickly  communicated  the  facts  to 
young  Barnegal.  Unfortunately,  the  band 
was,  at  that  time,  depleted  in  numbers — only 
six  or  seven  men  remaining,  but  with  this 
meager  force,  Barnegal  set  out  at  once  in  pur 
suit.  They  soon  discovered  that  Jacqueline's 
captors  were  riding  southward  meaning  appar 
ently  to  pass  by  Pocotaglio,  Coosawhatchie 
and  Grahamville  and  on  through  the  swamp 
country  to  and  across  the  Savannah  River. 

Barnegal  gave  the  hottest  possible  pursuit, 
and  about  daylight  overtook  the  enemy  north 
of  the  Combabee  River.  He  gave  battle  at 
once,  but  his  efforts  were  futile.  Every  man 
in  the  company  except  Barnegal  himself  and 
the  negro  Marlborough  fell  from  his  saddle 
with  a  bullet  through  his  body,  and  only  the 
speediest  possible  retreat  saved  Barnegal  and 
Marlborough  from  capture  in  their  turn. 
Both  of  them  would  have  stood  there  until 
death  released  them  from  their  duty,  had  there 
been  a  chance  in  that  way  to  rescue  the  young 
woman.  Seeing  that  there  was  none,  it  was 
for  her  sake,  not  for  their  own,  that  they  with 
drew. 

Fortunately  Roger  Alton  had  given  Barne- 

332 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

gal  as  accurate  information  as  he  could  of  his 
own  intended  movements,  and  the  first  thing 
now  to  do  was  to  find  him  if  possible,  and  at 
any  rate  to  gather  together  a  force  sufficient 
to  resume  the  pursuit.  The  white  man  and  the 
negro  were  equally  in  earnest.  They  rode  with 
discretion,  the  negro  fortunately  being  able  to 
save  some  miles  now  and  then  by  reason  of  his 
knowledge  of  short  cuts.  As  they  were  push 
ing  through  a  body  of  dense  undergrowth  a 
man,  who  had  been  sleeping  there  suddenly 
sprang  up  and  recognized  them. 

It  was  Humphreys.  It  took  them  less  than 
a  minute  to  tell  him  of  what  had  happened,  and 
he  was  ready  instantly  with  a  plan. 

"  I  know  where  Roger  Alton  is,"  he  said. 
"  He  is  not  half  a  mile  away  from  this  place.  I 
will  give  Marlborough  directions  how  to  find 
him.  Go  to  him,  Marlborough,  and  bring  him 
here  as  quickly  as  possible."  With  that  he 
furnished  the  negro  with  all  necessary  informa 
tion,  and  it  seemed  scarcely  five  minutes  before 
the  young  commander  rode  up  mounted  upon 
his  spare  horse,  Mad  Bess,  and  almost  crazed 
with  horror  at  the  news  that  had  been  brought 
to  him. 

Humphreys  remained  cool,  as  he  always  did. 
"  Calm  your  excitement,  Captain  Alton,"  he 

333 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

said.  "  We  will  rescue  your  sister  this  side  of 
the  Savannah  River.  I  will  answer  for  that. 
Come  with  me."  Then  mounting  his  own 
horse,  which  had  been  picketed  in  the  under 
brush,  he  led  the  way  out  of  the  swamp  into  a 
public  road.  "  We  must  follow  this  road,"  he 
said,  "  a  little  way.  Captain  Alton,  this  is  a 
desperate  case,  and  we  must  use  desperate 
means,  if  you  don't  mind." 

"  Mind,  man !  "  said  Roger.  "  I  will  resort 
to  battle,  murder,  or  sudden  death,  anything, 
everything  to  rescue  my  sister." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Humphreys,  "  I  am  going 
to  lead  you  into  very  bad  company.  I  am  go 
ing  to  employ  in  this  enterprise  means  which 
ordinarily  you  would  scorn,  men  for  whom 
you  cannot  possibly  have  the  smallest  respect. 
In  doing  so  I  am  going  to  reveal  myself  to  you 
in  a  way  which  I  had  hoped  might  never  be 
necessary.  You  say  you  don't  mind  what 
means  I  employ  or  what  agents  ?  " 

"  No,  no,  no !  "  answered  Roger.  "  To 
rescue  Jacqueline  I  would  join  forces  with 
Satan  himself,  and  make  comrades  and  inti 
mates  of  the  most  disreputable  devils  in  hell." 

"  So  would  I  "  said  Barnegal.  "  Come 
on." 

"  Be  quick,  man,"  said  Roger  impatiently. 

334 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  I  will  be  quick,"  said  Humphreys.  "  Come 
with  me."  And  again  they  turned  into  the 
swamp.  Presently  they  came  upon  a  little 
glade  where  there  were  a  dozen  or  twenty 
ponies  grazing  about.  "  We  must  leave  our 
horses  here,"  said  Humphreys,  "  and  ride  these 
marsh  tackeys  instead.  We  have  some  swamp 
work  to  do  where  our  horses  would  leave  us  in 
the  mire.  As  quickly  as  possible  transfer  your 
saddles  to  the  best  of  the  tackeys." 

The  marsh-tackey  played  a  large  part  in  the 
partisan  war  of  the  Revolution.  He  exists 
only  in  the  Carolina  swamps.  He  is  the  de 
scendant  of  thoroughbred  horses  that  were 
turned  loose  or  escaped  wellnigh  a  hundred 
years  before  the  Revolution,  and  bred  wild  in 
the  swamp  land,  picking  up  a  precarious  sub 
sistence  from  such  grass  and  soft  cane  tops  as 
they  could  find.  The  marsh-tackey  is  at  home 
in  the  swamps.  He  knows  his  way  across 
mires  as  no  other  horse  ever  did  in  the  world. 
He  has  a  trick  not  only  of  recognizing  a  mire 
where  a  less  expert  intelligence  would  fail  to 
see  it,  but  of  crossing  it  without  miring.  When 
he  comes  to  such  a  spot  he  suddenly  changes 
his  gait,  reducing  his  steps  to  six  inches  or  so 
in  length  and  keeping  no  foot  upon  the  ground 
for  more  than  a  fraction  of  a  second.  In  that 

335 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

way  he  avoids  sinking,  and  small  as  he  is — for 
the  largest  of  the  tackeys  are  only  ponies — he 
can  carry  the  heaviest  weight  with  ease,  live 
upon  nearly  nothing,  and  endure  the  longest 
journey  apparently  without  fatigue. 

These  tackeys,  running  wild  in  the  swamps 
are  anybody's  property  who  chooses  to  capture 
and  subdue  them.  The  work  of  subduing 
them  is  a  difficult  one,  requiring  all  the  skill 
and  determination  of  the  most  daring  horse 
man,  but  once  subdued,  the  tackey  is  a  servitor 
whose  faithfulness  can  be  relied  upon  in  all 
emergencies,  and  whose  endurance,  as  has  been 
indicated,  is  almost  incredible. 

Roger  quite  understood  what  Humphreys 
meant  when  he  proposed  the  exchange  from 
stout  horses  to  the  lean  little  marsh-tackeys. 
Five  minutes  later  the  four  men  were  threading 
their  way  through  swamp  lands  which  only 
the  guidance  of  Humphreys,  and  the  peculiar 
gifts  of  the  little  animals  they  rode,  could  have 
made  passable  or  possible.  Within  an  hour 
they  came  upon  a  sentry — a  long,  lean,  grizzled 
and  desperate  looking  fellow  who  called  to  them 
to  halt.  Humphreys  said  a  word  to  him  and 
he  withdrew  his  gun  from  his  shoulder. 

"  How  many  men  are  there,"  Humphreys 
asked. 

336 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  Twenty  or  twenty-one  in  all,"  answered 
the  man. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Humphreys.  "  That  is 
quite  enough."  Then,  turning  to  Roger  he 
said  again :  "  Don't  object  now  to  the  agents 
I  am  going  to  employ  in  this  business.  They 
are  desperate  men,  outlaws,  criminals,  if  you 
please.  They  obey  no  man  on  earth  but  me. 
Murder  to  them  is  a  pastime.  They  fear  no 
God,  no  law,,  no  enemy.  They  will  follow  me 
without  question  into  any  danger,  and  their 
fighting  I  think  will  satisfy  even  your  ideas  of 
what  brave  men  may  do.  There  is  a  price  up 
on  the  head  of  every  one  of  them,  but  for  that 
matter,  there  is  a  price  on  your  head  and  upon 
mine  also.  We  too  in  the  eyes  of  the  British 
are  criminals  and  outlaws.  Let  us  not  be  too 
choice  of  our  companionships  in  a  case  of  des 
perate  need  like  this." 

He  gave  Roger  no  opportunity  to  reply  be 
yond  a  word  or  two  ejaculated  to  signify  his 
readiness  to  employ  any  means  available  for  the 
present  purpose. 


337 


XXVII 

"TARLETON'S  QUARTER" 

this  time,  South  Carolina  had  become 
a  hornet's  nest.  All  through  the  long 
summer  after  the  surrender  of  Charles 
Town,  the  British  had  been  quite  unintention 
ally  nursing  the  patriotic  sentiment  of  the  peo 
ple.  They  had  everywhere  disregarded  the 
terms  of  surrender  which  they  themselves  had 
prescribed  for  Charles  Town.  They  had  every 
where  ruthlessly  violated  their  part  of  that  com 
pact.  They  had  wantonly  seized  upon  citizens 
to  whom  they  had  pledged  safety  and  protec 
tion  under  parole,  had  torn  them  away  from 
their  homes  and  their  families,  and  sent  them 
to  prison  in  St.  Augustine  and  elsewhere,  de 
nying  them  not  only  news  of  what  was  hap 
pening  at  their  homes,  but  even  the  privilege  of 
meeting  together  on  Sundays  to  hold  religious 
services.  They  had  thrown  Henry  Laurens 
into  the  Tower  of  London  without  even  the 
accusation  of  anything  worse  than  desiring 

338 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

peace  and  reconciliation  between  the  tories  and 
the  patriots  within  the  Colonies.  They  had 
not  yet  hanged  Colonel  Hayne  as  they  did  a 
year  later,  but  they  had  in  hundreds  of  other 
cases  disregarded  the  terms  made  by  them 
selves  with  surrendered  prisoners  and  patriots, 
and  had  thrown  men — to  whom  they  had 
pledged  protection  and  safety  in  their  homes — 
into  prison.  Tarleton  had  begun  that  system 
of  savage  warfare  the  history  of  which  has 
made  his  name  peculiarly  infamous  in  history. 
It  was  his  custom  to  violate  flags  of  truce,  to 
butcher  men  who  had  surrendered  and  thrown 
down  their  arms,  to  waylay  peaceful  citizens, 
and  to  make  the  war  as  brutal,  as  inhuman,  and 
as  bloodthirsty  in  its  savagery  as  any  that  the 
Red  Indian  ever  conceived. 

In  brief,  the  British  had  taught  the  Caro 
linians  that  there  was  no  safety  for  them  except 
that  which  they  could  secure  by  their  own 
strong  right  arms.  They  had  taught  them  that 
pledges  and  promises  were  of  no  avail;  that 
mercy  was  nowhere  to  be  found ;  that  the  war 
fare  of  the  patriots  was  held  to  be  a  lawless  and 
criminal  resistance  to  constituted  authority; 
that  belligerent  rights  were  never  to  be  ac 
corded  to  them ;  that  peace  for  them  lay  only  in 
abject  submission  or  in  the  grave. 

339 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

With  brave  men,  conditions  such  as  these 
could  have  but  one  outcome.  They  took  their 
scythes  and  their  ploughshares  to  the  black 
smith  shops  to  be  beaten  into  swords  and  pike- 
heads.  They  arose  in  revolt  everywhere,  and 
made  ceaseless  though  irregular  war.  Bands 
like  that  which  Roger  Alton  had  raised  multi 
plied  throughout  the  state.  In  every  neighbor 
hood  there  was  such  a  force  held  together  by 
the  bond  of  a  common  patriotism,  and  a  com 
mon  danger,  striking  wherever  a  blow  was  pos 
sible,  and  dispersing  when  resistance  seemed 
impracticable,  but  dispersing  only  to  assemble 
again  the  moment  that  opportunity  came. 

Under  such  circumstances,  it  was  natural 
that  news  of  Jacqueline's  capture  should  spread 
like  wildfire  through  the  country,  and  that  pur 
suit  in  the  hope  of  rescue  should  be  extended 
throughout  the  region  concerned.  A  dozen  lit 
tle  bands  set  out  from  a  dozen  different  quar 
ters  to  overtake  and,  if  possible,  to  overcome 
the  force  that  had  her  in  charge.  Roger  Al 
ton  and  Barnegal  knew  of  course  that  this 
would  be  done,  but  they  were  not  disposed  to 
trust  anything  to  chance,  or  leave  any  effort  un 
made  on  their  own  account.  The  danger  was 
that  these  efforts  at  rescue  would  come  too  late 
— that  the  girl  would  be  carried  within  the 

34° 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

strongly  entrenched  British  lines  at  Savannah 
before  her  rescue  could  be  accomplished. 

It  required  but  a  glance  on  their  part  to  dis 
cover  the  nature  of  the  camp  into  which 
Humphreys  had  led  them.  It  was  a  camp  of 
smugglers;  men  who  had  for  years  been  en 
gaged  in  violating  the  revenue  laws  imposed 
by  the  British. 

They  were  a  grizzly,  greasy,  unkempt  lot  of 
desperadoes,  but  they  thronged  about  their 
leader  with  the  loyalty  of  men  who  had  learned 
to  know  the  value  of  leadership,  and  whose 
respect  for  his  authority  had  been  strongly 
stimulated  upon  many  occasions  by  his  manifest 
readiness  to  shoot  down  any  who  might  refuse 
instant  and  entire  obedience.  The  moment 
Humphreys  came  among  these  his  followers,  his 
manner  underwent  a  marked  change.  He  was 
no  longer  the  modest,  shy,  shrinking  creature 
that  he  had  so  often  shown  himself  to  be  in  his 
intercourse  with  Roger  Alton,  but  a  chieftain 
who  gave  orders  that  must  be  obeyed  instantly 
and  without  questioning. 

"  How  many  boats  have  you  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Plenty  of  them,  sir,"  replied  one  of  the 
men.  "  How  many  do  you  want?  " 

"  Three  will  do.  Arm  them  immediately, 
and  put  six  men  into  a  boat.  I  will  go  in  one, 

341 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Captain  Alton  in  another,  and  Lieutenant 
Barnegal  in  the  third.  Send  your  other  three 
men  to  me  quick." 

When  the  three  men  appeared  and  doffed 
their  caps  he  said  to  them :  "  Mount  the 
freshest  tackeys  you  have  and  ride  at  once 
to  Pocotaglio.  Three  of  you  can  make  a  fight 
there  on  the  causeway  across  the  marsh  as  long 
as  need  be.  If  this  gang  attempts  to  cross 
there,  hold  them  in  check  until  we  come. 
We'll  come  up  from  Coosawhatchie.  Go  quick, 
and  do  as  I  tell  you.  I  hold  you  respon 
sible."  Then  turning  to  Roger  he  said :  "  I 
do  not  think  they  will  cross  at  Pocotaglio,  but 
by  chance  they  may.  They  will  probably  go 
higher  up  country  and  pass  that  way  to 
Coosawhatchie,  six  miles  below.  There  at  any 
rate  they  must  cross  the  river,  and  we  will  be 
there  to  meet  them.  Into  the  boats,  men,  into 
the  boats  quick !  " 

His  orders  were  delivered  like  pistol  shots, 
and  obeyed  without  a  question.  As  the  men 
dropped  into  the  boats,  Humphreys  turned  to 
Roger  and  said : 

"  With  your  permission  I  will  take  my  boat 
first.  One  thing  you  can  depend  upon.  My 
men  will  stand  until  the  last  man  of  them  dies. 
Have  no  fear  of  that.  If  I  find  the  enemy  al- 

342 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

ready  at  the  river  I  will  engage  him.  You  and 
Mr.  Barnegal  must  look  out  for  the  young  lady. 
Cut  her  out  as  quickly  as  possible  and  take  her 
to  the  rear.  Then  join  us,  for  we  shall  be 
greatly  more  than  overmatched." 

There  was  not  much  of  military  dignity  in 
this  plan,  but  Roger  saw  instantly  that  it  was  a 
good  one.  There  was  danger  that  upon  the 
first  assault  Jacqueline  might  be  put  to  death  or 
carried  away  by  some  of  her  captors.  The 
party  in  charge  of  her  outnumbered  Humph- 
reys's  force  quite  two  to  one  or  more.  The 
rescue  must  come  early  in  the  action,  if  it  was 
to  come  at  all. 

The  oars  were  already  muffled  carefully. 
That  seemed  to  be  their  habitual  condition,  for 
Humphreys  gave  no  order  and  made  no  inquiry 
with  regard  to  it.  Obviously  these  men  were 
accustomed  to  keep  their  own  counsel.  They 
bent  to  the  oars  with  a  will,  and  just  at  night 
fall  reached  the  rude  bridge  at  Coosawhatchie. 
Fortunately  they  were  ahead  of  the  enemy,  as 
they  learned  from  one  of  the  three  who  had 
been  sent  to  Pocotaglio,  and  who  had  galloped 
thence  to  Coosawhatchie  to  report  what  had 
there  been  learned  with  regard  to  the  enemy's 
advance.  This  simplified  matters  considerably. 
It  was  certain  now  that  Jacqueline's  captors 

343 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

were  seeking  to  cross  the  Coosawhatchie  River 
during  the  night.  Humphreys  decided  that  it 
was  better  to  let  them  do  so,  than  to  meet  them 
on  the  bridge.  Sending  his  boats  back  down 
the  river  for  half  a  mile,  and  hiding  them  there 
securely,  he  brought  his  little  force  up  and  sta 
tioned  them  according  to  his  notion  of  what  the 
need  might  be.  He  threw  Roger  Alton  with 
six  men  across  the  stream  to  the  north  and 
placed  him  there  in  a  thicket. 

"  When  the  enemy  attempt  to  cross,"  he 
said,  "  I  will  engage  them  on  the  south  side. 
I  will  place  Mr.  Barnegal  near  the  head  of  the 
bridge  while  with  my  other  men  I  will  hold  a 
position  two  or  three  hundred  yards  south  of 
the  bridge.  Lieutenant  Barnegal  will  remain 
concealed  until  the  enemy  passes.  When  I  en 
gage  them  he  will  watch  his  opportunity  and 
fall  upon  their  flank.  You  in  the  meantime 
must  rescue  the  young  lady  before  she  reaches 
the  bridge.  I  take  it  for  granted  that  she  will 
be  kept  in  the  middle  or  rear  of  the  cavalcade. 
At  any  rate,  bearing  in  mind  that  her  rescue  is 
the  main  object  to  be  accomplished,  I  leave  you 
to  see  to  that  in  the  best  way  you  can,  not  caring 
a  hang  how  many  of  our  lives  it  may  cost.  If 
you  need  our  assistance  you  will  find  us  with 
you  promptly." 

344 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Roger  was  astounded  at  the  extraordinary 
quietude  with  which  these  men  seemed  able  to 
break  through  brush  or  to  move  about  in  any 
way  that  they  pleased.  Scarcely  the  red  In 
dian  himself  was  more  skilful  than  they  in 
maintaining  silence  while  accomplishing  their 
purposes. 

An  hour  passed  after  these  dispositions  were 
made,  and  still  no  sign  came  of  the  approaching 
enemy.  To  Roger  and  to  Barnegal  the  min 
utes  seemed  hours  and  the  hours  days.  But 
at  last  the  roistering  crew,  who  had  secured 
liquor  on  the  road,  and  whose  enthusiasm  in 
their  evil  work  had  been  stimulated  by  deep 
potations,  came  riding  down  the  road,  wholly 
unsuspicious  of  the  existence  of  any  enemy  in 
front.  They  had  apparently  little  fear  of  as 
sault  from  that  quarter.  Yet  they  acted  with 
some  caution. 

The  head  of  the  column  rode  upon  the  bridge 
and  crossed  it.  The  centre  remained  awhile, 
apparently  to  let  those  in  advance  of  themselves 
discover  what  might  be  ahead.  A  rear  guard 
of  ten  men  rode  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  the  rear 
while  Jacqueline,  surrounded  by  as  many  more, 
rode  upon  a  led  horse  in  the  middle.  The 
squad  guarding  her  was  the  one  that  paused 
before  attempting  to  cross  the  bridge. 

345 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Roger's  first  impulse  upon  seeing  her  was  to 
dash  at  once  into  the  party  with  the  six  men 
under  his  command  and  try  conclusions  then 
and  there,  but  he  had  learned  enough  in  his 
warlike  experience  to  know  the  importance  of 
carrying  out  plans  as  nearly  as  possible  as  they 
were  laid,  so  he  waited  until  he  heard  the  rat 
tle  of  Humphreys's  rifles  in  front,  and  the  re 
sponse  of  the  men  he  was  attacking.  Then  he 
made  his  own  dash,  and  fortunately,  young 
Barnegal  proved  less  patient  and  less  obedient 
to  orders  than  he.  Instead  of  falling  upon  the 
flank  of  the  men  in  front,  as  had  been  intended, 
he  left  them  to  be  dealt  with  by  Humphreys, 
and  himself  led  his  party  across  the  bridge  to 
aid  Roger  in  the  rescue. 

It  was  the  work  of  a  very  few  minutes  to 
snatch  Jacqueline  from  the  hands  of  her  sur 
prised  and  bewildered  captors,  to  cut  her  bonds, 
and  bid  her  ride  away  into  the  cane  and  there 
await  events.  That  done,  Roger  and  Barnegal 
dashed  across  the  bridge  but  in  doing  so  re 
ceived  a  heavy  fire  from  the  rear.  The  rear 
guard  had  obviously  come  up. 

Meantime,  Humphreys  was  still  struggling 
with  the  men  in  front,  outnumbered  but  bat 
tling  gallantly.  Knowing  that  Jacqueline  was 
safe  for  the  moment  at  least,  Roger  and  Barne- 

346 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

gal  disregarded  the  foe  in  the  rear,  and  pushed 
on  to  assail  the  force  in  front.  In  a  minute  it 
was  crushed  between  them  and  Humphreys's 
force,  and  its  men  threw  down  their  arms. 
Then  Roger  turned  and  led  his  men  and  Barne- 
gal's  back  to  the  assault  upon  the  now  present 
rear  guard.  To  his  surprise,  Humphreys, 
with  four  men — all  that  he  had  left  of  the  six 
with  whom  he  had  struck  the  first  blow — 
came  up  and  joined  in  the  melee.  Even  in  that 
moment  of  excitement,  young  Alton's  curiosity 
got  the  better  of  him. 

"  What  have  you  done  with  your  prison 
ers  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  There  are  none,"  answered  Humphreys. 
"  These  fellows  don't  take  prisoners." 

And  to  his  horror,  Roger  discovered  that 
such  was  the  truth.  The  men  who  had  thrown 
down  their  arms  had  been  quickly  despatched, 
in  order  that  their  captors  might  be  free  to  con 
tinue  the  fight  upon  their  comrades,  and  when 
these  in  turn  offered  surrender,  one  of  the 
smuggler  men  called  out :  "  We  will  give  you 
Tarleton's  quarter ! "  What  that  meant  a 
road  strewn  with  dead  men  quickly  revealed. 

"  This  is  horrible,"  said  Roger  to  Barnegal, 
as  Jacqueline  emerged  at  their  call  from  the 
cane. 

347 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  I  do  not  know,"  said  Barnegal.  "  For  my 
self,  I  am  savage  enough  to-night  to  rejoice  in 
it,  and  besides,  it  is  a  trick  that  the  British 
themselves  have  taught  us.  Those  fellows  did 
not  cry  '  No  quarter,'  you  remember.  Their 
cry  was  '  Tarleton's  quarter.'  It  is  a  cry  that 
is  going  up  all  over  this  land.  It  is  the  cry  of 
desperate  men  forced  into  savagery  by  sav 
agery.  It  is  the  recoil  of  an  explosion.  It  is 
the  unbending  of  an  overstrained  bow.  Let's 
not  be  too  sensitive  about  it.  Jacqueline  at 
least  is  safe." 

"  But  where  is  Humphreys?  " 

In  the  thick  darkness  nobody  could  see,  and 
a  shout  or  two  brought  no  response.  Roger, 
turning  to  that  man  among  the  smugglers  who 
had  seemed  to  be  Humphreys's  most  trusted 
lieutenant,  asked:  "  Where  is  your  captain?  " 

"  The  last  I  saw  of  him,  sir,  was  in  the  road 
behind  there  in  the  middle  of  the  fight.  I  will 
go  and  look." 

He  went.  And  a  few  minutes  later  Humph 
reys,  shot  through  the  body  in  half  a  dozen 
places,  was  found  lying  in  the  sand  which  his 
blood  had  drenched  into  a  quagmire. 

There  was  a  little  blacksmith's  shop  near. 
Standing  before  it  was  a  light  wagon.  Into 
this  Roger  bid  the  men  lift  their  chieftain, 

348 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

and,  attaching  four  of  the  tackeys  to  it  said: 
"  I  will  take  the  poor  fellow  to  Alton  House 
Come,  men,  you  will  go  with  me  as  a  body 
guard." 

"  It  is  not  necessary,  Cap'n,"  said  the  one 
whom  he  had  recognized  as  lieutenant.  "  The 
cap'n  seems  to  be  done  for,  and  anyhow,  he  will 
be  well  guarded  in  your  hands.  It  is  not  our 
way  to  go  into  the  settled  country.  We  will 
go  back  to  our  camp.  If  you  need  us  at  any 
time,  you  can  find  the  way  there,  I  suppose ;  " 
and  with  that,  the  scant  remainder  of  Humph 
reys' s  forces,  leaving  their  dead  comrades  on 
the  field,  returned  to  their  boats  and  were  seen 
no  more. 

Roger  was  unwilling  to  leave  the  spot 
until  he  had  ascertained  that  there  were  no 
wounded  men  of  the  tories — for  they  were 
tories  and  not  British — to  be  cared  for.  But 
he  found  not  one.  Humphreys'  men  were  not 
accustomed,  apparently,  to  be  satisfied  with 
wounding  men.  Their  idea  of  battle  was  to 
kill. 

Roger's  next  care  was  to  look  after  Humph- 
reys's  wounds.  Procuring  an  axe  from  the  lit 
tle  blacksmith's  shop,  he  quickly  blocked  out  of 
one  of  the  great  pine  trees  growing  there,  some 
large  chips  of  that  resinous  wood  which  ignites 

349 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

at  the  touch  of  fire  and  blazes  like  a  blast  fur 
nace.  Splitting  this  into  bits,  he  brought  out 
his  tinder  box  and  quickly  had  a  torch  that  en 
abled  him  to  see  almost  as  by  daylight. 

He  handed  this  to  Marlborough,  bidding  him 
mount  into  the  wagon  and  hold  it  there  while 
he  should  inspect  the  poor  fellow's  hurts. 
Marlborough,  who  was  usually  as  nimble  as  a 
cat,  made  several  futile  attempts  to  mount  in 
to  the  wagon,  and  finally  fell  prostrate  into  the 
sand.  Going  to  him,  Roger  discovered  that 
his  faithful  follower  had  received  a  severe  hurt 
in  the  action.  He  had  in  fact  been  cut  down 
by  a  sabre  stroke  which  had  partly  scalped  the 
side  of  his  head,  and  laid  open  his  shoulder. 
Uncomplainingly  he  had  sought  to  conceal  his 
own  wounds  and  to  go  on  with  the  duty  that 
he  loved  in  the  care  of  his  Mis'  Jacqueline. 
But  weakness  from  loss  of  blood  and  from 
shock  had  been  at  last  too  much  for  him,  so  that 
now  he  lay  there  helpless. 

Lifting  him  into  the  wagon,  Roger  and 
Jacqueline,  with  Barnegal's  assistance,  did  what 
they  could  toward  dressing  the  wounds  of  both 
men.  Marlborough  was  only  faint,  but 
Humphreys  had  completely  lost  consciousness, 
though  so  far  as  they  could  discover,  the  bul 
lets  that  had  passed  through  him  had  struck 

35° 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

no  immediately  vital  part.  This  at  least  was 
their  hope. 

The  journey  to  Alton  House  was  a  long  one, 
but  fortunately  the  roads  of  that  country  are 
well  adapted  to  the  easy  transportation  of  the 
wounded  in  a  wagon.  There  is  no  stone  there 
— not  even  a  pebble — and  the  sand  which  con 
stitutes  the  roads  is  soft  and  yielding  enough  to 
render  springs  unnecessary  even  in  an  ambu 
lance.  Nor  are  there  any  hills  to  be  climbed 
or  descended.  And  so,  slowly,  and  as  gently 
as  if  in  a  barge,  the  two  wounded  men  were 
carried  to  Alton  House,  arriving  there  at  dusk 
of  the  next  day. 

When  the  morning  dawned  on  the  day  after 
that  journey,  Jacqueline,  who  was  still  at 
tending  Humphreys,  turned  to  Roger  and 
said  : 

"  Roger,  this  is  the  man  who  gave  me  the 
money  chest." 

Roger  responding  said,  "  This  is  the  man 
who  sailed  with  me  from  the  Bahamas.  I 
have  promised  him  never  to  mention  the  fact 
to  a  human  being,  but  to  you  I  feel  that  I  may 
tell  it  now,  in  view  of  what  he  has  done  for  us. 
But  keep  the  secret  well,  my  dear,  for  his  sake. 
Until  yesterday  I  did  not  know  why  he  wished 
me  to  remain  silent  on  that  subject.  I  know 

351 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

now,  but  it  can  do  no  harm  for  you  at  least  to 
know  that  this  is  not  the  first  time  in  which 
I  have  been  under  obligations  to  his  courage, 
his  daring,  and  his  skill." 


352 


XXVIII 

HUMPHREYS'S  story 

T"  TTON  their  arrival  at  Alton  House, 
/  /  Humphreys  was  put  immediately  to 
V_>^  bed  and  a  surgeon  was  sent  for.  He 
shook  his  head  before  he  had  examined  half  the 
wounds,  and  said: 

"  Poor  fellow !  There  is  no  hope.  He  may 
become  conscious  to-night  or  to-morrow.  I 
would  advise  that,  if  he  does  so,  some  one  ques 
tion  him  as  to  any  matters  he  may  wish  to  ar 
range  before  death,  for  that  he  will  die  of  these 
wounds  is  as  certain  as  science  itself." 

Marlborough  was  found  to  be  in  much  bet 
ter  case,  and  after  dressing  his  wounds,  the 
doctor  predicted  that,  with  his  superb  physical 
health  and  strength  he  would  be  on  his  feet 
again  within  a  day  or  two  and  quite  well  with 
in  a  month.  "  But  it  was  a  narrow  escape," 
he  said.  "  If  that  sabre  had  struck  one-quar 
ter  of  an  inch  farther  to  the  left,  his  head  would 
have  been  split  open  like  a  watermelon." 

353 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Roger  watched  all  night  by  the  bedside  of 
Humphreys,  while  Jacqueline  attended  poor 
Marlborough,  whom  she  had  insisted  upon 
placing  in  her  own  bed  upstairs. 

The  next  day  Humphreys's  consciousness 
returned  as  the  physician  had  predicted  that  it 
would,  and  Roger  said  to  him : 

"  I  am  afraid  you  are  very  badly  hurt,  old 
comrade,  and  I  want  to  know,  in  case  anything 
should  happen,  if  there  is  anything  I  can  do  for 
you." 

Humphreys  looked  at  him  for  a  moment  out 
of  his  resolute  gray  eyes  and  said,  in  a  feeble 
voice  but  without  emotion  or  whimper: 

"  Of  course  I  understand.  There  is  no  hope 
for  me.  I  am  done  for.  And  do  you  know, 
I  am  rather  glad  of  it.  I  have  lived  for  years 
hoping  for  a  chance  to  make  atonement.  My 
time  of  atonement  has  come.  I  had  hoped 
never  again  to  associate  myself  with  the  des 
peradoes  who  were  our  comrades  in  that  fight. 
I  had  hoped  to  begin  a  new  life.  I  want  to  tell 
you  all  about  that,  but  I  cannot  tell  it  twice, 
and  I  must  tell  it  also  to  your  father.  Would 
you  mind  sending  for  him,  and  in  the  mean 
time,  please  give  me  a  drink  of  brandy." 

The  brandy  was  furnished  and  Colonel  Al 
ton  summoned.  He  was  now  so  feeble  from 

354 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

the  effects  of  his  wounds  and  his  maladies  that 
he  had  on  this  occasion  to  be  carried  down 
the  stairs,  across  the  hall  and  into  the  room  of 
his  wounded  guest.  The  moment  he  entered 
and  looked  at  Humphreys,  there  was  recogni 
tion  in  the  faces  of  both. 

"I  see  that  you  know  me,  Colonel  Alton," 
said  Humphreys. 

"  My  dear  friend,"  said  Colonel  Alton,  "  I 
do  know  you,  and  for  what  you  have  done  for 
me  and  mine  I  have  come  to  thank  you  with 
all  the  strength  and  sincerity  that  I  can  com 
mand.  Do  not  let  us  talk  now.  It  will  only 
increase  your  suffering,  and  perhaps  your 
danger." 

"  I  do  not  mind  the  suffering,  and,  as  to  the 
danger,  that  cannot  be  increased.  The  hour 
of  my  death  has  been  appointed.  It  is  very 
near  at  hand.  It  makes  little  difference 
whether  I  hasten  it  by  an  hour  or  two  or  not. 
There  are  some  things  I  must  say  before  I  die." 
Then  he  added :  "  I  would  like  to  have  your 
daughter  Jacqueline  present.  She  too  ought 
to  know  the  facts  in  this  case.  It  will  pain  her 
to  know,  but  it  is  due  to  her  that  she  should 
know." 

Accordingly,  Jacqueline  was  summoned,  for 
it  was  clear  that  to  resist  the  wish  of  the  dying 

355 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

man  would  only  add  to  his  agony.  When  all 
were  gathered  together  he  said : 

"  Let  me  tell  my  story  in  my  own  way.  It 
is  a  story  greatly  to  my  shame,  and  yet  I  cannot 
help  thinking,  as  I  stare  death  in  the  face,  that 
perhaps,  perhaps — well,  never  mind.  It  is  for 
you  to  judge  me,  not  for  me  to  be  judge  in  my 
own  case.  Much  of  the  story  you  know, 
Colonel  Alton,  but  not  all  of  it.  Let  me  tell 
the  whole  of  it,  and  pardon  me  if  I  weary  you 
by  recounting  things  that  you  already  know. 
My  name  is  William  Vargave." 

At  this  both  Jacqueline  and  Roger  started. 

"  Yes,  I  knew,"  the  wounded  man  continued, 
"  I  knew  that  you  would  be  shocked  at  hear 
ing  this,  but  I  cannot  help  it.  My  name  is 
William  Vargave.  I  was  born  to  as  honorable 
a  house  as  any  in  the  Carolinas.  I  was  reared 
in  all  the  pride  and  glory  of  our  aristocracy,  an 
aristocracy  founded  not  so  much  upon  birth  as 
upon  honorable  achievement.  My  father, 
Colonel  Alton,  served  with  your  father  in  the 
early  Indian  wars,  before  either  you  or  I  was 
old  enough  to  carry  a  gun.  When  our  time 
came,  you  and  I  served  together  in  like  manner 
against  the  Cherokees.  You  were  cruelly 
wounded ;  I  escaped  unhurt ;  but  we  were  com 
rades  then,,  and  you  did  not  forget  it. 

356 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Throughout  all  my  young  manhood  you  were 
the  friend  held  most  closely  to  my  heart,  and 
you  were  always  the  most  generous  and  help 
ful  of  friends.  I  was  cursed  with  a  tempera 
ment  that  you  sought  to  correct.  I  was 
cursed  with  a  disposition  to  overweening  con 
fidence  in  myself,  in  fortune,  and  in  the  future. 
I  was  a  day-dreamer,  an  optimist,  an  enthusi 
ast,  call  it  what  you  will.  I  was  always  plan 
ning  great  enterprises,  and  always  failing  in 
them.  My  failures  taught  me  nothing.  You, 
though  you  tried,  could  teach  me  no  more  than 
they  did. 

"  At  last  came  the  time  when  I  dreamed  a 
dream  of  fortune  such  as  no  man  from  Croesus 
down  had  ever  dreamed  before.  I  wrought 
out  its  details  in  my  mind,  with  such  care  that 
I  believed  in  it  from  the  bottom  of  my  soul.  I 
could  see  no  chance  or  risk  of  failure  in  it.  On 
the  contrary,  it  seemed  to  me  that  failure  was 
as  utterly  impossible  as  a  failure  of  the  sun  to 
rise  in  the  morning.  I  invested  in  this  scheme 
every  dollar  that  I  could  raise.  I  mortgaged 
all  my  possessions  to  the  utmost  limit.  I  sold 
everything  I  had  that  was  susceptible  of  sale. 
I  still  lacked  a  thousand  pounds  of  enough  to 
make  the  enterprise  a  success.  I  went  to  you 
and  asked  to  borrow  that  money.  You  bade 

357 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

me  halt.  You  told  me  that  my  scheme  was 
visionary.  You  showed  me — if  I  had  had  the 
sense  to  see — that  only  failure  and  disaster 
could  come  of  it.  You  said  to  me :  '  After 
you  have  gone  into  this  matter  and  failed, — 
when  you  have  come  out  of  it  impoverished  and 
in  need  of  money,  come  to  me,  and  you  shall 
have  it  in  whatever  abundance  I  may  be  able 
to  supply,  but  I  cannot  and  will  not  help  you 
into  an  enterprise  of  this  kind  by  lending  you 
money  to  be  invested  in  it.'  That  in  substance 
is  what  you  said  to  me.  You  were  wise.  But 
I  was  a  fool.  I  was  so  sure,  so  certain,  as  I 
thought,  of  a  success  that  would  startle  this 
continent,  that  I  made  up  my  mind  to  seize 
upon  the  assistance  that  you  refused  to  give 
me — I  forged  your  endorsement  upon  a  note 
that  I  thought  I  knew  I  should  be  able  to  meet 
and  take  up  long  before  maturity. 

"  I  see  now  as  I  saw  long  ago,  how  criminal 
it  was,  but  I  did  not  see  it  when  the  thing  was 
done.  I  honestly  believed  that  no  possible 
harm  could  come  to  you  or  anybody  else  from 
my  act.  Had  I  believed  that  there  was  even 
the  remotest  chance  of  my  failure  to  discharge 
that  note  before'  its  maturity,  I  would  have 
burned  off  my  right  hand  in  the  fire  rather  than 
write  your  name  upon  the  back  of  that  note. 

358 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

I  hope  you  believe  me  in  this.  I  am  a  dying 
man,  telling  only  the  truth." 

Colonel  Alton  was  sobbing,  and  for  a  time 
he  could  not  respond.  Presently  he  said : 

(<  I  do  believe  you,  my  dear  friend,  and  I 
have  known  from  the  first  all  that  you  now  tell 
me.  I  have  understood  you  as  you  did  not 
understand  yourself.  But  why  bring  up  all 
these  things  now  ?  " 

"  I  must,  I  must,  I  must,"  said  the  dying 
man.  "  I  cannot  go  to  my  grave  until  I  have 
made  full  confession,  as  I  have  tried  to  make 
full  atonement.  When  I  found  that  my  crime 
must  be  revealed,  when  I  found  that  my  friend 
must  be  a  sufferer  at  my  hands,  or  must  choose 
between  that  and  becoming  the  exposer  of  my 
guilt,  I  fled.  But  I  fled  not  as  a  coward  flees; 
I  fled  not  to  escape  punishment — that  I  would 
willingly  have  taken  upon  myself  and  endured 
as  an  atonement.  I  fled  only  to  gain  oppor 
tunity  in  order  that  I  might  at  least  repair  to 
you  the  harm  I  had  done  to  you. 

"  In  my  youth  I  had  been  a  sailor.  I  had  al 
ways  been  interested  in  shipping  ventures.  I 
had  often  gone  to  sea  to  learn  something  of 
navigation,  as  you  know.  So  I  decided  that 
the  only  place  where  I  might  earn  the  money 
that  I  owed  you  was  at  sea. 

359 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  I  went  first  to  William  Barnegal  and  laid 
my  case  before  him.  I  thought  he  might  help 
me,  but  he  refused.  In  our  boyhood  he  and  I 
had  been  comrades  as  you  and  I  had,  and  I 
thought  that  he  still  bore  me  some  affection.  I 
told  him  the  truth  and  I  learned  then  how 
soured  and  cynical  he  had  become.  He  softened 
nothing  in  his  dealing  with  me.  He  taunted  me 
with  the  fact  that  I  was  a  forger,  and  expressed 
wonder  that,  with  the  consciousness  of  such  a 
crime  on  my  mind,  I  should  venture  upon  his 
premises.  He  then  went  so  far  as  to  say  to 
me :  'If  you  could  give  me  any  proper  se 
curity,  I  might  lend  you  money  at  interest  for 
the  sake  of  the  interest,  but  as  I  understand 
you,  you  are  a  beggar  as  well  as  a  criminal ; ' 
and  with  that  he  bowed  me  out. 

"  I  went  next  to  my  father-in-law.  He  was 
a  man,  as  you  know,  of  imperious  temper  and 
almost  an  exaggerated  sense  of  honor  if  it  is 
possible  to  exaggerate  that  sentiment.  He  too 
repulsed  me,  and  bade  me  take  myself  out  of 
Carolina,  saying :  '  When  you  married  my 
daughter,  it  was  without  my  consent.  I  see 
now  the  wisdom  that  prompted  me  to  withhold 
such  consent.  Go  anywhere  out  of  the  world 
that  I  live  in.  As  for  your  wife  and  daugh 
ter,  well,  at  least  I  will  see  that  they  do  not 

360 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

starve.  I  cannot  promise  you  more  than 
this/ 

"  On  that  night  I  sailed  in  a  little  sloop  out 
of  the  creek  down  there  where  my  father-in- 
law  lived.  A  man  was  swept  overboard  in  the 
gale.  The  crew  had  been  recently  shipped, 
and  the  men  were  not  known  by  name  to 
their  officers.  I  instantly  conceived  the  plan  of 
taking  that  poor  fellow's  name,  and  leaving  it 
to  be  supposed  that  it  was  William  Vargave 
who  had  been  cast  overboard  and  drowned. 
Under  my  new  name  of  Thomas  Humphreys, 
I  followed  the  sea  year  in  and  year  out.  The 
work  was  slow  and  toilsome,  and  at  last  I  des 
paired  of  ever  accomplishing  my  purpose  by 
such  means. 

"  I  had  in  the  meantime  studied  the  com 
mercial  situation  very  carefully.  The  British 
trade  laws  were  oppressive  and  unjust  beyond 
endurance.  They  were  so  unjust  indeed  that 
even  had  I  still  held  myself  to  be  a  gentleman, 
and  a  man  of  honor,  I  should  have  had  no 
scruple  whatever  in  violating  them,  as  other 
gentlemen  in  Carolina  and  at  the  north  had  no 
scruple  in  sharing  the  proceeds  of  their  viola 
tion.  I  saw  the  opportunity  that  our  peculiar 
coast — interlaced  as  it  is  with  inlets,  sloughs, 
bayous,  creeks,  and  little  rivers — offered  for 

361 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

traffic  of  this  kind  in  violation  of  the  revenue 
laws.  I  found  men  engaged  in  this  business 
who  lacked  the  brains  to  conduct  it  skilfully, 
and  who,  for  lack  of  brains,  achieved  nothing 
except  now  and  then  a  term  in  jail,  or,  in  ex 
treme  cases,  a  gibbet.  I  made  myself  the  lead 
er  of  these  men.  I  organized  them  and  became 
their  chieftain.  I  could  furnish  them  the 
brains  they  lacked,  and  the  lack  of  which  they 
themselves  felt  keenly. 

"  I  made  myself  their  master.  Such  men 
always  need  and  want  a  master.  I  ruled  them 
with  a  high  hand.  I  taught  them  that  my 
commands — whatever  they  might  be — were 
commands  to  be  obeyed  instantly  and  without 
question  upon  pain  of  instant  death  at  my 
hands.  I  established  a  rendezvous  here  on  the 
coast  hidden  away  where  there  was  not  the 
slightest  danger  of  any  revenue  officer  ever 
finding  it,  and  where  it  would  have  been  great 
ly  the  worse  for  the  revenue  officer  who  did 
venture  to  find  it. 

"  In  that  traffic,  which  was  legitimate  en 
ough  in  its  way,  I  accumulated  money.  I  dealt 
fairly  and  honestly  with  my  men,  making  that 
division  of  profits  which  we  had  agreed  upon, 
and  which  was  just. 

"  It  had  been  their  habit  to  make  little,  if  any, 

362 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

discrimination  between  smuggling  and  piracy. 
Many  of  them  had  sailed  under  the  black  flag, 
and  at  times  they  went  into  revolt  against  my 
authority,  because  I  resolutely  refused  to  en 
gage  in  enterprises  of  that  sort.  I  held  them 
down  to  smuggling.  I  forbade  all  forms  of 
robbery,  and  on  the  whole,  I  think  my  associa 
tion  with  them  was  rather  for  the  good  of  the 
community  than  to  its  hurt.  We  robbed  the 
king  of  England  of  revenues  to  which  he  had 
no  right,  but  we  robbed  nobody  else.  We  de 
fied  laws  made  to  convert  the  people  of  these 
Colonies  into  tributaries  of  a  greedy  gang  of 
London  speculators,  and  in  doing  so  as  I  lie 
here  upon  my  death  bed  I  feel  that  we  did  right. 
We  were  earlier  than  the  rest  of  our  country 
men  in  revolting  against  British  oppression. 
Beyond  that  I  do  not  see  that  we  were  guilty  of 
any  crime.  When  the  British  law  forbade 
Americans  to  buy  tea  elsewhere  than  from 
British  warehouses,  we  bought  it  in  Spain  or 
wherever  else  we  could  buy  it  cheapest,  and 
we  brought  it  into  the  Colonies  and  sold  it 
openly  here.  When  unjust  British  laws  for 
bade  the  Colonists  to  export  their  products 
otherwise  than  through  extortionate  British 
merchants,  we  undertook  their  exportation 
without  the  extortion.  We  were  rebels  a  lit- 

363 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

tie  in  advance  of  our  countrymen,  but  not  other 
wise,  I  sincerely  think,  were  we  sinners  above 
them. 

"  Nevertheless,  I  personally  was  a  criminal. 
I  was  a  forger.  That  crime  still  lies  to  my 
charge.  Do  not  interrupt  me  please,"  he  said 
— seeing  that  Colonel  Alton  was  about  to  pro 
test.  "  I  know  what  you  would  say.  You 
would  say  that  I  have  sent  you  back  the  money 
I  unjustly  took  from  you.  That  is  true,,  but, 
as  I  said  then  I  say  now,  the  crime  remains. 

"  During  all  these  years  " — here  the  man 
broke  down  from  feebleness,  and  it  was  neces 
sary  to  administer  restoratives  before  he  could 
go  on,  but  no  persuasion  could  induce  him  to 
relinquish  his  purpose  of  continuing  his  story 
as  soon  as  he  had  recovered  strength  enough  to 
speak.  To  all  entreaties  to  postpone  it  he  re 
plied,  "  There  is  no  future  time  for  me.  I  must 
do  now  whatever  I  am  to  do.  I  must  say  now 
all  that  I  have  to  say."  When  he  felt  a  little 
stronger  he  began  again: 

"  During  all  these  years  I  was  mainly  at  sea, 
or  in  foreign  lands,  but  I  kept  myself  informed 
minutely  of  everything  that  concerned  me  in 
Carolina.  I  learned  that  for  some  reason 
which  I  have  not  yet  fathomed,  but  which  I 
took  to  be  a  cowardly  fear  of  vengeance,  Tiger 

364 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Bill  Barnegal  had  never  revealed  what  I  had 
told  him  of  my  crime.  I  learned  how  you, 
Colonel  Alton,  heroically  sacrificed  yourself 
and  took  up  the  burden  which  I  had  laid  upon 
you.  I  learned  how  you  defied  even  the  power 
of  a  court  to  impoverish  and  imprison  you, 
rather  than  expose  my  crime  and  bring  my 
helpless  and  innocent  family  into  disgrace. 
How  I  have  honored  you  for  your  heroism! 
How  I  have  loved  you  in  their  behalf,  though 
to  them  I  am  a  dead  man,  as  you  know. 

"  When  I  saw  Carolina  threatened  with  the 
invasion  that  is  now  upon  us,  I  could  no  longer 
resist  the  impulse  that  had  been  strong  upon 
me  from  the  first  to  join  with  my  countrymen, 
and  do  battle  for  my  native  land.  I  came 
back  to  America  in  company  with  your  son,  but 
without  his  knowledge  of  anything  concerning 
me.  I  separated  myself  from  him  almost  at 
the  moment  of  our  landing.  I  begged  him  then 
to  keep  secret  the  fact  of  our  having  been  as 
sociated  even  in  that  way.  I  did  this  for  his 
sake,  and  in  order  that  no  revelation  of  my 
guilt,  should  it  come — as  it  easily  might — 
should  involve  him  even  indirectly  in  my  shame. 

"  Through  your  daughter  I  returned  to  you 
the  money  of  which  I  had  robbed  you,  and 
through  her  peril  I  have  at  last  been  enabled  to 

365 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

make  some  small  atonement,  perhaps,  for  the 
wrong  I  did  you.  It  is  all  that  I  can  now  do. 
My  hours  are  numbered,  and  they  are  not 
many.  I  beg  of  you  to  write  up  to  my  credit 
at  least  the  desire  to  serve  you  and  yours,  and 
I  beg  of  you,  in  the  name  and  for  the  sake  of 
my  innocent  wife  and  daughter,  who  have 
mourned  and  still  mourn  me  as  a  dead  man, 
that  the  secret  you  have  kept  for  so  many  years 
may  be  kept  still." 

With  that  the  dying  man  ceased.  Colonel 
Alton,  sobbing  between  his  words  said : 

"  It  shall  surely  be  as  you  wish,  my  friend. 
To  me  there  is  no  past  this  side  of  the  days  of 
our  youth,  when  you  and  I  were  friends.  All 
else  is  blotted  utterly  out  of  my  mind  and  soul. 
We  are  living  in  new  times.  We  are  estab 
lishing  new  institutions.  We  are  beginning  a 
new  life.  We  are  putting  the  past  behind  us. 
In  this  republic  there  is  no  history  back  of  the 
republic's  birth.  Concerning  the  man  whose 
record  in  this  struggle  for  liberty  is  good  as 
yours  is,  there  is  no  ante-dating  evil  to  be  re 
membered.  Liberty  looks  forward,  not  back 
ward  ;  up  and  not  down.  God  Himself  accepts 
atonement  as  a  blotting  out  of  sin.  Shall  we 
poor  mortals  be  more  relentless  than  the  Ar 
biter  of  the  universe?  I  am  beginning  to  see 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

things  in  a  new  light — the  new  light  of  liberty. 
Your  secret,  my  friend,  shall  never  be  made 
public.  That  part  of  your  past  which  you  re 
gret  has  been  utterly  blotted  out  by  the  atone 
ment  you  have  made  at  cost  of  your  life." 

He  could  speak  no  more.  Rising  with  dif 
ficulty  to  his  feet,  he  hobbled  out  of  the  room, 
leaving  Jacqueline  and  Roger  to  close  the  eyes 
of  the  friend  of  his  youth,  who  sank  almost  in 
stantly  into  his  last  sleep. 


367 


XXIX 


IN  wbicb  ALTON  HOUSE  receives  VISITORS 


y^FTER   Colonel  Alton  had   recovered 
/-i      himself  from  his  passionate  emotion, 
-^  -*-       he  sent  for  his  son  to  consult  with 
him. 

"  I  have  promised  our  dead  friend,"  he  said, 
"  that  for  the  sake  of  his  wife  and  daughter  his 
secret  shall  still  be  kept  inviolate,  and  yet  I  can 
not  bear  to  think  of  burying  him  here  without 
their  knowledge,  leaving  his  grave  forever 
nameless.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  wiser 
course,  and  the  one  he  himself  would  have  us 
pursue,  is  to  send  for  his  wife  and  daughter  and 
tell  the  wife  at  least  the  full  truth.  We  may 
tell  her  as  little  as  possible  with  regard  to  her 
loved  one's  sin,  as  much  as  possible  with  re 
gard  to  his  heroic  atonement.  As  for  the 
daughter,  I  shall  leave  that  to  Mrs.  Vargave 
herself.  She  may  do  as  she  pleases.  The 
girl  is  a  thorough-paced  gentlewoman,  proud, 
strong,  and  able  to  bear  such  griefs  as  life  may 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

bring  to  her.  Perhaps  it  may  be  best  to  tell  her 
all,  but  from  the  rest  of  the  world  we  will  con 
ceal  all.  I  want  you,  if  you  will,  to  take  some 
of  your  men  as  outriders,  and  go  at  once  to 
Lonsdale  to  bring  Mrs.  Vargave  and  her  daugh 
ter  hither.  We  will  then  quietly  lay  our  friend 
to  rest.  It  is  better  that  they  should  be  here 
now,  at  any  rate." 

"  Yes,"  said  Roger,  "  in  the  present  dis 
turbed  state  of  the  community,  two  women  left 
alone  on  a  remote  and  isolated  plantation  with 
out  any  white  man,  not  even  an  overseer  to  call 
upon  for  aid,  are  in  a  dangerous  position.  I 
will  go  for  them  father,  and,  with  your  permis 
sion,  will  myself  tell  Helen  the  whole  truth. 
She  has  given  me  her  love,  and  it  seems  to  me 
she  is  entitled  to  hear  from  my  lips,  rather  than 
from  another's — even  from  yours — the  sad 
story  that  must  be  told.  I  now  clearly  under 
stand  how  it  is  you  so  peremptorily  forbade  my 
marriage  with  Helen,  and  I  understand  how 
hard  it  was  upon  you  that  you  could  not  explain 
to  me  the  reasons  for  your  course.  But  that  is 
all  past  now.  Vargave  has  made  atonement 
with  his  life,  sacrificed  in  the  rescue  of  Jacque 
line  from  a  fate  too  horrible  even  to  contem 
plate.  You  have  accepted  the  atonement  in  full, 
and  so  have  I.  You  have  granted  him  absolu- 

369 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

tion  for  his  sin  against  you,  and  the  world 
knows  nothing  of  his  crime.  There  is  now  no 
obstacle,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  to  the  execution  of 
my  purpose  of  marrying  Helen." 

"  Wait  a  minute,  my  son,"  broke  in  Colonel 
Alton,  "  you  forget.  Tiger  Bill  Barnegal  still 
lives  and  hates,  and  still  knows  the  facts  in  this 
case.  He  has  been  baffled  in  the  revenge  he 
sought  by  the  seizure  of  Jacqueline — for  I  am 
persuaded  that  this  crowning  outrage  was  de 
vised  by  him  and  committed  under  his  direc 
tion.  When,  my  son,  I  refused  my  consent  to 
your  marriage  with  Helen,  I  told  you  that  my 
objection  was  in  no  remotest  way  to  her.  You 
understand  now  what  I  meant  by  that.  I  was 
proud  then,  and  saw  things  in  the  light  of  our 
old  traditions.  I  can  now  so  far  lay  them 
aside  as  to  think  of  my  dead  friend  as  my  friend 
still,  and  to  forget  that  he  ever  sinned.  But 
we  now  have  a  new  duty  to  do,  a  duty  to  which 
he  with  his  dying  breath  has  invoked  us.  My 
duty,  as  I  saw  it  before,  was  to  protect  the  Al 
ton  name,  to  forbid  a  marriage  which  would 
have  made  my  grandchildren  the  grandchil 
dren  also  of  a  forger.  To-day  the  forgery  is 
a  thing  dead,  done  for,  buried  and  forgotten. 
So  far  as  we  are  concerned  it  does  not  exist. 
But  Helen  has  still  to  be  protected.  We  have 

37° 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

promised  him  to  shield  her  name,  and  we  must 
do  so  at  cost  of  all  sacrifice,  even  though  it  be 
the  sacrifice  of  your  happiness  and  hers,  my  son. 
While  Tiger  Bill  lives,  you  must  not  marry 
Helen.  Should  you  do  so,  he  would  instantly 
see  and  seize  his  opportunity  for  vengeance. 
He  would  publish  to  the  whole  world  the  facts 
that  the  dead  man  in  there  has  asked  us  to  keep 
sacredly  secret  for  the  protection  of  his  wife 
and  daughter." 

"  You  are  right,  father,"  said  Roger.  "  I 
see  our  duty  clearly  enough,  and  I  see  it  as  you 
see  it.  Let  it  be  so.  I  will  go  at  once  to  Lons- 
dale,  but  first  I  must  make  a  few  arrange 
ments." 

Leaving  his  father,  Roger  went  first  in 
search  of  Jacqueline.  To  her  he  hurriedly  gave 
some  instructions  regarding  her  own  safety. 

"  We  have  not  seen  the  last  of  this  affair," 
he  said,  "  but  the  terrible  punishment  which  my 
cutthroat  allies  gave  to  your  captors  down 
there  in  the  swamp  at  Coosawhatchie  will  teach 
them  to  wait  a  while  before  resuming  hos 
tilities.  In  the  end,  however,  it  will  also  anger 
them  and  prompt  them  to  still  more  desperate 
attempts  hereafter.  You  must  be  protected. 
I  am  going  to  Lonsdale.  I  shall  ask  Charlie 
Barnegal  to  look  up  the  survivors  of  my  troop 

371 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

and  recruit  it  so  far  as  he  can  in  my  absence. 
But  the  more  I  think  of  it,  the  more  necessary 
it  seems  to  me  that  you  should  have  protection 
here  at  home  always  within  reach. 

"  I  like  your  idea  of  forming-  a  pickaninny 
brigade.  You  already  have  a  supply  of  arms. 
I  will  ask  Charlie  to  look  a  little  to  the  instruc 
tion  of  your  little  black  soldiers,  and  to  supply 
you  abundantly  with  ammunition. 

"  Organize  and  drill  the  little  negroes  as 
thoroughly  as  you  can,  and  let  them  learn  from 
the  beginning  these  two  things  :  first,  that  guns 
are  given  to  them  to  fight  with,  not  to  throw 
down  when  the  enemy  comes.  And,  second, 
that  the  way  to  fight  successfully  is  instantly 
to  obey  every  order  given  to  them  by  their 
commander.  You  are  their  commander. 
Good-by,  dear,  I  must  talk  now  with  Charlie, 
and  I  must  be  away." 

"  But  are  you  going  alone  to  Lonsdale  ?  Are 
you  going  to  bring  Helen  and  Mrs.  Vargave 
here  without  protection  on  the  road  in  the 
present  disturbed  condition  of  the  country?  " 

"  No,  no,,"  he  answered,  "  I  shall  pick  up 
three  or  four  trusty  fellows  whom  I  know  on 
the  way,  and  we  will  make  a  sufficient  guard. 
If  necessary,  I  know  where  our  desperadoes 
are." 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Then,  seeking  out  Barnegal,  Roger  gave  him 
such  instructions  as  he  needed,  and  said  to  him 
at  parting :  "I  look  to  you,  old  fellow,  to 
have  our  force  as  strong  when  I  return  as  it 
was  before  those  gallant  fellows  were  killed 
under  your  command,  and  in  the  present  con 
dition  of  the  country  I  think  you  will  find  it  easy 
enough  to  make  it  so.  The  whole  countryside 
has  been  aroused  and  alarmed  into  activity  by 
this  escapade.  Every  young  man  in  the  com 
munity  who  has  not  sworn  allegiance  to  King 
George,  feels  that  his  own  home  and  every 
body's  home  is  now  in  hourly  danger.  Every 
one  of  them,  I  take  it,  is  ready  to  fight  under 
the  first  leader  that  may  summon  him.  Send 
out  for  them,  muster  them  in  the  swamp,  and 
have  them  ready  against  my  return.  Then  you 
and  I  will  see  what  we  can  do  toward  re-estab 
lishing  order  in  this  community.  Good-by." 
And  with  that  he  swung  himself  into  the  saddle 
on  the  back  of  his  trusty  Bullet,  and  giving  rein 
to  the  animal  he  was  gone. 

He  reached  Lonsdale  just  after  daylight  the 
next  morning.  He  had  ridden  the  whole 
eighty  miles  in  fifteen  hours,  and  he  patted  Bul 
let  on  the  neck  in  praise  of  his  superb  devotion 
and  endurance;  for  all  of  that  energy  which 
Bullet  had  formerly  been  disposed  to  expend  in 

373 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

resisting  this  master  of  his,  was  given  now  to 
the  splendid  doing  of  that  master's  will.  But 
as  Roger,  followed  by  the  four  armed  com 
panions  whom  he  had  summoned  to  his  side  as 
an  escort,  entered  the  avenue  leading  up  to 
Lonsdale,  he  was  horrified  to  see  instead  of 
the  house,  a  shapeless  and  smoking  ruin. 
With  an  exclamation  of  horror  he  said  to  his 
men: 

"  The  devils  have  made  war  upon  these  two 
defenceless  women.  God  only  knows  what 
they  may  have  done." 

With  that  he  and  his  comrades  plunged  spurs 
into  their  horses,  instinctively  felt  of  their  rifle 
flints,  and  with  pistols  drawn  rode  at  a  full  run 
up  to  what  had  been  the  beautiful  home. 

There  was  nobody  there,  not  even  an  enemy, 
and  it  required  some  little  search  through  the 
woodlands  round  about  before  they  could  dis 
cover  any  one  even  of  the  house-serving 
negroes.  The  one  first  found  was  the  young 
black  man  who  had  waited  upon  Roger  during 
his  stay  at  Lonsdale  the  year  before.  How 
eagerly  he  welcomed  the  coming  of  white  men 
whom  he  knew  he  could  trust,  his  trembling 
and  eager  manner  made  quickly  manifest. 
With  a  few  hurried  questions,  Roger  learned 
from  him  what  had  happened. 

374 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

"  You  see,  sah,"  the  negro  said,  "  when  the 
damned  tories — pardon  me,  massa,  I  didn't 
mean  to  swear " 

"  Oh,  swear  all  you  like  at  them.  Go  on ; 
what  about  them  ?  " 

"  When  de  tories  corned  here — you  see  I 
seed  'em  comin'  an'  I  rushed  into  de  house  and 
almost  dragged  the  Missus  and  Missee  Helen 
to  one  of  de  quahtahs.  Den  I  slipped  back 
over  dere  in  de  woods  and  den  I  saw  a  big 
light,  and  I  knows  dey  done  set  fire  to  de  house. 
Dey  didn't  get  de  Missus  or  Miss  Helen.  I 
has  got  'em  hid  away  in  de  woods  where  I 
don't  think  even  a  tory  could  find  'em.  But 
dey  got  most  of  de  black  people,  and  they  done 
took  dem  off  in  a  ship.  I  don't  tink  more  dan 
one  or  two  of  'em  is  left  besides  me,  and  I  sup 
pose  de  one  or  two,  if  dere  is  any,  is  hid  away 
somewhere  out  in  de  woods,  and  maybe  dey 
will  come  back  again  some  day,  I  don't  know. 
That's  all  dere  is  to  tell,  Massa." 

In  the  meantime,  Roger's  men  had  been  beat 
ing  the  bushes  in  every  direction,  hoping  there 
to  find  some  one  at  least  of  the  marauders. 
They  found  none,  but  they  saw  that  the  looting 
of  the  plantation  had  been  complete.  Every 
thing  that  was  portable  and  of  value  in  the 
house  seemed  to  have  been  carried  away  be- 

375 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

fore  the  building  was  set  on  fire.  Here  and 
there  a  bit  of  silver  or  other  valuable  had  been 
dropped  by  the  robbers  in  their  flight,  thus 
marking  their  trail,  and  telling  the  story  of 
their  evil  deeds.  There  was  nothing  to  be  done 
but  to  go  with  the  young  negro  to  the  hiding 
place  in  which  he  had  bestowed  his  two  mis 
tresses.  The  poor  women  had  been  frightened, 
of  course,  but,  with  the  spirit  of  the  high  bred 
race  to  which  they  belonged,  they  had  recovered 
their  equanimity,  and  now  indulged  neither  in 
hysterics  nor  in  tears — not  even  in  bewailing. 
They  welcomed  Roger  and  declared  them 
selves  ready  to  go  with  him  at  once  to  Alton 
House. 

"  You  see,"  said  Helen,  with  still  a  touch  of 
playfulness  in  her  manner,  "  we  shan't  detain 
you  as  we  women  generally  do  while  we  deco 
rate  ourselves  and  pack  useless  baggage,  for  we 
have  no  decorations  left,  and  no  baggage  either, 
and  nothing  to  pack  into  it  if  we  had.  But 
how  are  we  to  go?  Those  fellows  carried  off 
every  horse  on  the  plantation,  and  as  they 
burned  the  barns  the  carriages  of  course  are 
gone  too." 

"  You  can  ride,  I  think,  Helen,"  said  Roger. 
"  You  haven't  forgotten  the  lessons  that  your 
grandfather  taught  you.  Bullet  here  has  never 

376 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

been  trained  to  pillion  service,  but  you  and 
I  together,  I  am  sure,  can  ride  him  double. 
I  shall  put  you  on  my  crupper,  and  for  your 
mother  we  will  make  an  arrangement  among 
my  men." 

Mrs.  Vargave  declared  her  own  ability  to 
ride  a-pillion  also  if  a  quiet  horse  could  be 
found  in  the  cavalcade.  One  of  the  men  in 
stantly  responded,  pledging  his  horse  to  good 
behavior  if  Mrs.  Vargave  would  honor  him  by 
accepting  a  seat  on  the  crupper.  The  horses 
were  jaded,  of  course,  all  but  Bullet,  but  they 
did  their  work  well,  and  by  stopping  over  night 
at  a  roadside  tavern,  Roger  managed  to  make 
the  long  journey  before  the  end  of  the  next 
day. 

He  was  glad  of  the  necessity  of  that  over 
night  stop  at  the  tavern.  It  gave  him  an  op 
portunity  to  inform  Helen  of  the  sad  events 
that  had  brought  about  this  journey.  He  felt 
that  no  other  could  tell  her  the  story  of  her 
father's  shame  and  her  father's  death  with  so 
much  of  tenderness  as  he  could  bring  to  bear, 
and  from  no  other  lips  could  she  receive  it  with 
so  little  pain  as  from  his. 

She  bore  it  very  bravely  indeed,  but  she  re 
jected  Roger's  suggestion  that  she  should  be 
the  bearer  of  this  news  to  her  mother.  "  That 

377 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

belongs  not  to  me  nor  to  you,  Roger,  but  to 
Colonel  Alton." 

So  it  was  arranged.  Mrs.  Vargave,  still  in 
ignorance  of  what  had  occurred,  rode  on  to  Al 
ton  House  with  the  feeling  of  an  animal  that 
had  been  hunted  but  is  nearing  a  refuge. 

Very  naturally,  Roger  avoided  all  direct 
reference  to  their  own  affairs  in  his  talks  with 
Helen  as  they  jaunted  along  seated  upon  the 
same  horse,  yet  she  was  left  in  no  doubt  of  the 
tenderness  of  his  love,  or  of  his  passionate  de 
votion  to  her,  nor  could  she  in  her  turn,  avoid 
letting  him  see  how  entirely  he  was  master  of 
her  mind,  her  soul,  her  life.  She  tried  hard  in 
deed  to  avoid  such  a  revelation,  for  now  that  it 
was  made  additionally  certain  that  no  engage 
ment  could  exist  between  her  and  Roger,  all  the 
pride  of  her  bringing  up  prompted  her  to  reti 
cence.  Nevertheless,  when  these  two  reached 
Alton  House,  there  was  a  closer  bond  of  sym 
pathy  between  them  than  ever  before,  and  a 
clearer  understanding  on  the  part  of  each 
that  the  tie  between  them  was  perfect  for  all 
time,  whatever  their  external  relations  might 
be. 

On  the  arrival  at  Alton  House  there  was 
much  of  agitation,  of  course.  Mrs.  Vargave 
must  learn  the  terrible  story  which  Roger  had 

378 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

already  told  to  Helen.  Then  there  must  be  the 
quiet  funeral,  and  then  the  waiting. 

Roger  scarcely  paused  for  supper  before 
mounting  Mad  Bess,  which  he  had  ordered  to 
be  brought  to  the  door,  and  pushing  off  into 
the  swamp  to  find  his  followers.  He  felt  that 
he  had  work  to  do  and  no  time  for  delaying. 
He  had  explained  to  Helen  that  he  would  not 
attend  the  funeral,  and  she  understood  that  this 
determination  was  prompted  by  a  delicate  con 
sideration  for  her  mother. 

"  You  are  right,  Roger,"  she  said.  "  It  will 
be  easier  for  mother  if  only  a  very  few  are  pres 
ent  to  see  my  poor  erring  father  laid  in  his 
grave." 

"  Don't  say  that,  Helen,"  said  Roger. 
"  Don't  think  of  your  father  as  a  poor  erring 
man.  All  that,  as  I  told  you,  is  past.  You  are 
to  think  now,  henceforth  and  forever  of  your 
father  as  a  hero,  as  one  who  in  life  denied  him 
self  every  joy,  risked  every  danger  and  endured 
every  hardship  to  atone  for  an  error  committed 
without  evil  intent, — one  who  met  death  at  last 
as  only  a  few  heroic  souls  of  this  world  can 
meet  it.  You  wrong  your  father;  you  wrong 
me;  you  wrong  those  children  whom  it  is  my 
hope  that  you  will  some  day  bear  to  me,  when 
you  hold  your  father  otherwise  than  in  honor. 

379 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

It  is  a  hero  that  you  are  about  to  bury,  a  noble 
man,  a  gentleman.  Teach  yourself  that  les 
son,  dear,  before  I  come,  as  I  shall  come  when 
the  time  is  ripe,  to  claim  you  for  my  wife." 

And  with  that  he  threw  himself  upon  his 
splendid  mare  and  was  gone. 


380 


XXX 

MARLBOROUGH  brings  NEWS 

>^S  he  had  expected,  Roger  found  his 
/-i  band  greatly  increased  in  numbers. 
-^  -*-  Thanks  to  the  awakened  sense  of  all- 
embracing  danger  in  the  community,  he  found 
nearly  forty  men  ready  to  answer  his  call.  Not 
all  of  them  were  assembled  in  the  swamp  of 
course.  It  was  part  of  his  tactics  indeed  to  keep 
but  a  small  body  there,  and  to  distribute  the  rest 
about  among  their  several  homes  where  they 
could  do  the  work  at  once  of  pickets  and  scout 
ing  men.  It  was  theirs  to  find  out  what  was 
going  on,  and  to  report  it  promptly  to  their 
commander.  It  was  theirs  to  answer  his  sum 
mons,  whenever  their  services  were  needed  in 
more  active  ways,  which  was  now  a  thing  of 
very  frequent  occurrence. 

In  thus  summoning  them,  Roger  had  adopt 
ed  and  applied  a  good  many  of  Jacqueline's 
devices  for  silent  communication.  A  litter  of 
leaves  at  a  crossroads,  the  dead  branch  of  a 

381 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

tree  thrown  in  apparent  carelessness  by  the 
roadside;  a  little  dust  heap  piled  as  with  child 
ish  hands;  a  diminutive  bonfire  built  upon  a 
knoll — these  and  a  hundred  other  signals  had 
each  its  definite  meaning  for  Roger  Alton's 
men.  And  so  perfect  became  the  system  of 
quick  communication,  that  within  less  than  an 
hour  at  any  time  he  could  bring  every  man  of 
his  band  to  his  side.  He  had  no  one  place  of 
rendezvous  even  in  the  swamp,  but  he  had 
means  of  indicating  on  each  occasion  of  need 
the  point  at  which  his  men  were  expected  to 
join  him  for  a  foray. 

Barnegal  had  already,  as  he  put  it,  "  equip 
ped  "  Jacqueline's  little  army  and  established 
her  arsenal  in  one  of  the  wine  cellars  of  Alton 
House.  He  went  thither  frequently  on  the 
plea  that  it  was  necessary  for  some  one  to  look 
after  the  progress  of  her  young  soldiers  in  their 
organization  and  drill,  but  somehow  it  usually 
happened  that  when  he  reached  Alton  House 
he  found  the  soldierly  operations  in  so  good  a 
state  of  advancement,  that  he  had  nothing  fur 
ther  to  do  than  sit  awhile  in  converse  with 
Jacqueline.  Nevertheless,  he  refused  to  re 
linquish  his  theory  that  his  presence  as  a  drill- 
master  was  occasionally  necessary. 

It  was  a  very  busy  time  for  the  next  few 

382 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

v/eeks.  The  tories  were  reinforced  presently 
by  a  small  body  of  British  regulars,  who  had 
been  sent  into  that  part  of  the  country  for  the 
purpose  of  keeping  the  loyalists  in  heart  and 
aiding  them  in  their  marauding  enterprises. 
The  patriots  had  become  almost  ceaselessly 
active  in  their  endeavors  to  overawe  the  tory 
bands.  There  were  skirmish  fights  almost 
daily.  Now  and  then  a  miniature  pitched  bat 
tle  occurred. 

The  operations  of  Roger's  band  were  no 
longer  confined  by  any  means  to  the  narrow 
limits  of  the  neighborhood.  They  made  raids 
sometimes  a  hundred  miles  away,  and  oftener 
than  not  they  were  half  that  distance  up  or 
down  the  country.  They  operated  sometimes 
in  a  single  body,  sometimes  in  detachments,  ac 
cording  to  the  need.  The  one  idea  that  in 
spired  all  their  activity  was  to  make  Carolina 
too  hot  to  hold  the  British  and  their  tory  allies. 
Meantime  General  Marion  was  in  the  midst  of 
his  splendid  career  in  the  upper  country,  and 
Sumter  was  ceaselessly  busy,  wherever  he  could 
find  a  foe  to  fight.  The  British  had  already 
learned  that  their  conquest  of  South  Carolina, 
so  far  from  making  an  end  of  war  there, 
marked  only  its  beginning. 

There  came  news  one  day  that  a  body  of 

383 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

British  regulars  supported  by  nearly  a  thou 
sand  armed  tories,  was  making  more  than  or 
dinary  trouble  at  a  point  near  the  mountains. 
A  message  from  Sumter  invoked  the  aid  of 
Roger's  band,  and  that  young  gentleman, 
marshalling  all  his  force,  hurried  to  the  scene 
of  conflict. 

For  several  days  the  righting  was  almost 
continuous,  but  each  day,  so  far  from  diminish 
ing,  increased  the  numbers  of  the  patriots  in 
the  field.  There  were  men  by  hundreds 
throughout  the  country  who  were  accustomed 
to  take  up  arms  when  fighting  was  on  and  to 
lay  them  down  the  moment  the  fighting  was 
done.  There  was  fighting  enough  now  to  call 
these  men  to  their  duty,  and  to  keep  them  at  it 
pretty  continuously. 

One  night,  after  a  day  of  hard  riding  and 
hard  fighting,  Roger  encamped  his  force — now 
numbering  somewhat  more  than  fifty  men — in 
a  little  strip  of  woodland,  and  threw  out  his 
pickets  to  guard  the  camp  while  his  men  slept 
upon  their  arms.  He  was  at  supper  when  there 
came  to  him  a  visitor.  He  was  a  man  lean  and 
muscular  in  appearance,  wearing  a  semi-cler 
ical  garb  composed  of  long  stockings,  high 
boots,  knee  breeches,  and  a  tow  linen  coat  that 
reached  half  way  down  his  legs,  but  was  cleric- 

384 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

ally  cut  in  the  collar.  He  was  a  strange  figure 
— one  that  the  modern  caricaturist  would  re 
joice  in,  but  there  was  a  deep  earnestness  in  his 
face,  and  his  soft  blue  eyes  had  a  steely  glint 
in  them  that  meant  battle  when  battle  was 
necessary. 

He  introduced  himself  to  Roger,  saying: 
"  I  am  the  pastor  of  a  Presbyterian  Church  up 
there  in  the  hills.  My  parishioners  are  a  God 
fearing  people,  and  they  are  always  ready  to  do 
God's  service  when  their  pastor  points  out  to 
them  what  it  is.  Last  Sunday  we  met  for 
service,  when  the  news  came  to  me  of  this  dis 
turbance  down  here.  I  am  an  Irishman,  as 
you  probably  guess,  and  while  I  hope  the  divine 
grace  is  always  present  with  me,  I  still  have  a 
touch  of  the  old  Adam  in  my  soul,  and  I  fear 
that  I  was  glad,  when  the  devil,  on  whom  it 
is  my  business  to  wage  war,  came  forward  in 
the  form  of  these  British  and  tories.  It  gives 
me  a  chance,  you  see,  to  know  where  my  blows 
fall  and  when  they  tell.  I  did  not  preach  last 
Sunday.  There  wasn't  much  time  for  it.  I 
adjourned  the  meeting  to  the  grove  outside  the 
church,  and  told  my  people  what  God  expected 
of  them.  They  are  simple  people,  Captain  Al 
ton,  but  if  they  are  plain  Irishmen  by  descent, 
they  are  enthusiastic  Americans  now.  I  told 

385 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

the  women  that  they  must  work  a  little  harder 
on  the  farms  because  I  was  going  to  take  all 
the  men  away  to  fight,  and  the  women  waved 
their  bonnets  and  hurrahed.  Women  don't 
say  much  in  my  congregation.  We  hold  to 
the  Pauline  doctrine  that  women  should  be 
silent  in  church,  but  I  knew  what  their  bonnets 
meant,  and  so  I  turned  to  the  men.  '  There/ 
I  said  to  them,  '  You  see  what  kind  of  patriots 
these  your  womenkind  are.  So  now  go  you 
home  as  quick  as  you  can,  and  meet  me  down 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill  there,  all  of  you  armed, 
every  man  bringing  a  little  bit  of  bacon  or  what 
ever  you  have  got  in  your  house  to  live  on. 
Bring  it  along.  Let's  have  some  cornmeal 
too.  And  bring  your  guns,  bring  a  lot  of 
powder,  all  you  have  got,  do  you  mind  ?  '  It 
wasn't  a  very  formal  sermon,  or  a  very  elo 
quent  one,  and  it  had  no  gospel  text,  but  it  did 
its  work.  And  I  am  camping  over  here  by 
you,  Captain,  with  one  hundred  and  twenty 
men,  and  every  man  knows  how  to  shoot 
straight  and  every  man  knows  how  to  stand  up 
in  God's  service.  I  tell  them  every  day  it  is 
God's  service  they  are  doing." 

By  this  time,  in  his  excitement,  the  old  man 
had  resumed  the  brogue  of  his  boyhood  out  of 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

which  he  had  so  strenuously  labored  to  drill  his 
tongue.* 

It  was  in  this  sort  of  spirit  that  the  war  in 
Carolina  was  fought,  and  the  men  who  fought 
it  were  of  almost  inconceivably  different  types. 
There  were  young  planters  of  aristocratic  lin 
eage  like  Roger  Alton,  and  Charles  Barnegal. 
There  were  born  soldiers  like  Marion.  There 
were  the  Scotch-Irish  farmers  of  the  moun 
tains — believing  primarily  in  the  doctrine  of 
predestination  that  held  all  events  to  be  un 
alterably  determined  "  before  ever  the  founda 
tions  of  the  world  were  laid," — men  who  did 
their  duty  with  the  inspiring  sense  that  every 
act  of  theirs  was  decreed  by  God  himself. 
There  were  young  roisterers  who  were  inspired 
almost  as  much  by  the  love  of  adventure  and  of 
the  wild  woodland  life  of  partisan  service  as  by 
sentiments  of  patriotism,  though  they  held 
these  too,  very  strongly.  And  there  were  des 
peradoes — outlaws  if  you  like — like  those  whom 
Vargave  had  summoned  to  Jacqueline's  rescue. 
It  was  a  motley  crowd,  but  heroic  in  all  its 
parts. 

On  the  morning  after  Roger's  meeting  with 
the  queerly  clad  old  preacher  whom  he  nick- 

*  This  is  a  historic  fact. 

387 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

named  Joshua,  in  memory  of  that  great  com 
mander  whose  authority  extended  even  to  the 
sun  in  Gibeon  and  the  moon  over  the  vale  of 
Ajalon,  the  enemy  was  found  to  be  dispersing. 
The  patriot  force  was  much  too  strong  for  it 
to  meet  in  battle.  The  tories  for  the  most  part 
disbanded  and  took  to  the  woods.  The  British 
regulars  retreated  as  rapidly  as  they  could, 
battling  as  they  went,  with  one  patriot  band 
after  another  assaulting  them. 

It  was  just  then  that  startling  news  came  to 
young  Alton.  It  was  brought  by  no  less  trust 
worthy  a  messenger  than  Marlborough,  whose 
shoulder  was  still  encased  in  bandages,  and 
whose  head  was  bound  until  it  looked  like  that 
of  a  grand  Turk  in  his  turban. 

"  I  couldn't  wait  to  get  well,  Mas'  Roger," 
he  said,  "  because  somebody  had  to  find  you 
quick,  and  I  knew  Marlborough  could  do  it 
quicker'n  anybody  else.  Old  Tiger  Bill  has 
got  his  people  togeder  again,  and  dey  have 
burnt  two  barns  on  your  plantation.  We  are 
expecting  them  at  Alton  House  every  hour,  so 
I  thought  I  would  come  and  just  tell  you  so  that 
you  might  go  back  there.  Miss  Jacqueline  she 
told  me  to  say  that  if  you  had  duty  to  do  up 
here  she  would  try  and  hold  the  fort  until  you 

388 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

got  through,  but  to  come  as  quick  as  you 
could." 

It  was  not  a  minute  later  before  Roger  had 
his  band  in  motion,  and  they  rode  furiously. 
But  the  distance  to  Alton  House  was  great,  and 
time  had  been  lost  of  course  during  Marlbor- 
ough's  search  for  him. 

When  Roger  told  Barnegal  of  the  news 
brought  to  him  by  Marlborough,  that  young 
man  was  quick  to  see  the  explanation.  "  The 
old  Tiger,"  he  said,  "  like  the  coward  that  he 
is,  has  seized  his  opportunity.  He  knows  that 
we  are  away,  and  he  means  if  possible  to  reach 
and  loot  Alton  House  plantations.  Let  us 
hurry,  Roger.  Remember  that  Jacqueline  and 
Helen  Vargave  are  in  danger.  What  matter 
if  we  ride  half  our  horses  to  death  and  kill  half 
our  men.  We  must  get  there  in  time  to  save 
them." 

In  that  spirit,  and  spurred  by  that  impulse, 
the  two  young  warriors  rode  like  the  driving 
of  Jehu,  and  the  faithful  fellows  in  their  ranks 
followed  them  without  murmur  or  complaint. 


389 


XXXI 

CAPTAIN  JACK'S  DEFENCE 

rOUNG  Barnegal  had  judged  rightly. 
Coward  that  he  was,  old  Tiger  Bill 
deemed  it  safe  now  in  the  absence  of 
all  the  patriot  bands  from  the  lower  country,  to 
indulge  in  the  luxury  of  a  perfect  vengeance. 
He  believed  it  to  be  certain  that  no  patriot  with 
a  gun  in  his  hand  remained  in  the  region  round 
about.  He  regarded  Alton  House  as  helpless 
ly  defenceless,  and  so,  when  he  mustered  his 
men  for  its  destruction,  he  for  once  placed  him 
self  at  their  head,  and  took  personal  charge  of 
the  enterprise. 

He  established  the  headquarters  of  his  party 
at  the  wheelwright's  shop,  and  began  at  once 
to  spread  terror  throughout  the  neighborhood. 
First  of  all,  the  outer  barns  of  Alton  House 
plantation  were  burned  by  night;  this  apparent 
ly  for  the  sake  of  torturing  the  inmates  of  the 
mansion  with  apprehension.  Against  this 
method  of  procedure  "  Captain  Jack  "  took  no 

39° 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

measures  whatever.  It  was  obviously  useless 
to  do  so,  and  it  would  serve  only  to  disclose  the 
fact  which  she  wished  to  conceal,  namely,  that 
she  had  an  armed  force  at  her  command. 

Colonel  Alton  was  at  this  time  hardly  able 
to  sit  in  his  chair,  and  his  irritation  at  en 
forced  inaction  was  not  good  for  the  gout  that 
tortured  him. 

The  negro  wheelwright,  who  brought  to 
Alton  House  the  first  news  of  the  band's  ap 
proach,  was  fleeing  to  the  swamps  for  safety. 
Nearly  all  the  other  negroes  on  the  plantation 
— those  of  them  at  least  who  worked  in  the 
fields — were  doing  the  same.  Their  terror  of 
being  captured  and  deported  to  the  West  In 
dies  was  limitless.  They  had  somehow  learned 
of  what  happened  to  negroes  who  were  thus  de 
ported  to  tropical  islands.  They  had  somehow 
found  out  that  slavery  was  quite  a  different 
thing  there,  a  much  more  horrible  servitude 
than  any  that  existed  in  the  American  states; 
that  it  was  untempered  by  any  touch  of  patriar 
chal  relations;  that  in  those  countries  the 
hireling  overseer  with  his  cruel  whip  stood  al 
ways  between  the  slave  and  his  master,  and 
that  the  one  thought  was  to  grind  out  of  every 
man  or  woman  or  child  the  utmost  dollar  of 
earning  with  the  minimum  of  food  and  shelter 

391 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

and  with  no  clothing  at  all.  It  was  a  slavery 
inspired  solely  by  greed  of  gain,  unsoftened  by 
sentiment,  unrelieved  by  any  sense  of  pity.  It 
was  into  such  bondage  as  this  that  the  British 
sent  every  Carolina  negro  upon  whom  they 
could  lay  their  clutches.  And  from  this  peril 
the  negroes  everywhere  were  accustomed  to 
flee  into  the  recesses  of  the  swamps,  whenever 
they  saw  signs  of  its  coming. 

At  Alton  House,  only  the  house  servants  re 
mained.  The  little  company  of  pickaninnies, 
dressed  in  white  uniforms  with  flaming  red  and 
yellow  trimmings,  all  of  which  Jacqueline  and 
Helen  had  provided  to  make  them  proud  of 
themselves  and  their  service,  rallied  round  their 
young  mistress.  They  had  a  certain  expert- 
ness  in  the  use  of  firearms,  as  every  one  had  at 
a  time  and  in  a  country  where  the  chase  was 
a  daily  occupation,  and  the  use  of  gunpowder 
was  almost  an  instinct. 

Upon  hearing  of  the  impending  danger,  Cap- 
ain  Jack's  first  thought  was  to  provision  the 
fortress — for  she  intended  to  make  a  fortress 
of  Alton  House  and  to  stand  a  siege  there,  cer 
tain  that  if  she  could  hold  out  long  enough 
strong  arms  would  come  to  her  aid  and  her 
rescue.  She  had  all  the  available  pigs  and 
chickens  driven  into  the  cellars  and  near-by 

392 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

out-houses,  where  they  could  be  drawn  upon  in 
case  of  need,  as  a  food  supply.  This  had  been 
originally  Marlborough's  suggestion.  At  his 
instance  also — for  he  had  seen  something  of 
war  by  this  time,  and  had  learned  some  of  its 
arts — she  had  her  little  negroes  dig  shallow 
rifle  pits  in  the  grounds  around  the  house, 
throwing  the  earth  to  the  front  as  a  sort  of 
parapet.  She  had  so  located  these  pits  that  it 
was  possible  to  pass  from  one  to  another  with 
very  little  exposure,  and  in  that  way  to  retreat 
to  the  house  whenever  retreat  should  become 
necessary.  Shots  from  these  pits,  coming  ap 
parently  out  of  the  earth  would  be  naturally 
more  demoralizing  to  the  approaching  foe,  es 
pecially  in  the  night,  than  shots  emanating 
from  the  source  whence  they  might  be  ex 
pected. 

In  all  her  preparations  for  defence,  Helen 
Vargave  was  Jacqueline's  efficient  lieutenant. 
Full  of  suggestiveness,  alert,  and  with  a  cour 
age  that  nothing  could  daunt,  Helen  was  en 
thusiastic  for  the  fray.  "  We  are  soldiers' 
sweethearts,"  she  said  to  Jacqueline  one  day, 
"  and  that  comes  pretty  nearly  being  soldiers, 
doesn't  it?  And  besides,  I  am  a  crack  shot. 
My  grandfather  taught  me  that  among  the 
other  unladylike  accomplishments  that  he  in- 

393 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

stilled  into  me  to  the  horror  of  my  gover 
ness." 

It  was  at  Helen's  suggestion  that  an  out 
house  built  of  thick  planks  and  heavy  timbers 
was  pulled  down,  and  its  materials  erected  into 
a  kind  of  parapet  at  the  edge  of  the  great  piazza. 
This  defence  was  bullet-proof,  and  lying  be 
hind  it,  the  little  black  soldiers  could  do  a 
maximum  of  damage  with  a  minimum  of 
danger  to  themselves. 

Most  of  the  serving  women  in  the  household 
were  helpless  from  the  first,  but  a  few  of  them 
remained  calm  enough  to  help.  Two  of  these 
constituted  themselves  picket  guards.  They 
were  strong  young  girls,  clad  in  scant  skirts 
and  accustomed  to  run  like  deer.  Taking 
turns  they  patrolled  around  the  house  and 
through  the  grounds  throughout  the  nights  of 
waiting.  Each  was  armed,  and  each  was  in 
structed  to  fire  an  alarm  when  the  enemy  ap 
proached,  if  there  were  no  other  way  of  giving 
notice  to  the  garrison,  but  to  run  home  in 
silence  instead,  if  there  should  be  time  for  that. 

The  defenders  of  the  fortress  had  not  to  wait 
long  for  the  assault.  It  came  about  midnight 
when  the  moon  had  gone  down,  and  a  deadly 
chill  was  in  the  air.  Believing  that  the  place 
was  defenceless,  or  at  most,  that  Colonel  Alton 

394 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

might  be  able  to  fire  only  a  single  shot  or  so. 
Tiger  Bill  pushed  his  men  straight  towards  the 
house  by  way  of  the  main  entrance,  screening 
himself  behind  them  that  he  might  not  by  any 
chance  receive  the  one  stray  shot  anticipated. 

The  tories  were  ill  drilled,  or  rather,  not 
drilled  at  all,  and  they  came  on  slouchily,  in  a 
loose  line,  numbering  perhaps  eighteen  or 
twenty  men  in  all.  As  they  approached  the 
dark  and  apparently  sleeping  house,  they  saw 
a  negro  girl  rise  from  the  bushes  near  and 
scurry  away,  as  they  thought,  to  shelter.  A 
moment  later,  "  Crack-crack-crack-crack- 
crack  !  "  came  from  the  rifle  pits,  less  than 
twenty  yards  in  front  of  them,  and  two  of  the 
men  fell  riddled  with  bullets.  The  rest  hastily 
ran,  and  as  they  did  so,  trampled  upon  their 
leader,  Tiger  Bill,  who  had  received  one  of  the 
leaden  messengers  in  his  body. 

"  Good  for  you,  boys,"  cried  Jacqueline,  in 
low  tones  as  she  ran  from  one  rifle  pit  to  an 
other.  "  Are  any  of  you  hurt  ?  " 

"  No  missie,"  said  little  Dick,  the  smallest 
and  youngest  of  her  juvenile  soldiers.  "  Those 
fellows  didn't  hurt  nobody  because  they  didn't 
git  time  to  fire." 

The  boys  wanted  to  sally  out  and  pursue  the 
enemy,  as  they  knew  white  soldiers  often  did 

395 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

when  the  enemy  retreated  under  fire,  but  Jac 
queline  was  too  prudent  for  that. 

"  They  will  come  back,"  she  said,  "  and  they 
will  fire  next  time.  They  are  angry  now." 

With  that,  she  took  two  or  three  of  the  boys 
with  her  and  going  to  the  point  where  the  to- 
ries  had  received  the  fire,  made  a  search  for 
wounded  men.  She  found  two  dead  ones 
whom  it  was  not  worth  while  to  waste  time  up 
on.  She  found  another  evidently  wounded, 
crawling  on  hands  and  knees.  Presenting  her 
gun  at  his  head,  she  bade  him  halt,  and  called 
for  help  from  the  house.  Some  strong  young 
arms  seized  upon  the  wounded  man  in  the 
darkness,  and  carried  him  bodily  into  the  hall 
way.  It  was  too  dark  to  see  him,  for  every 
light  had  been  extinguished,  and  Jacqueline 
had  no  notion  of  relighting  any  of  the  torches 
while  the  danger  should  remain.  So  she  di 
rected  those  of  the  housemaids  whose  terror 
permitted  them  to  be  of  no  other  service,  to 
carry  the  man  above  stairs  into  a  rear  room, 
and  there  to  light  candles. 

"  We  must  look  a  little  to  his  wounds,"  she 
said,  "  if  they  give  us  a  minute  for  that."  In 
the  meantime  she  returned  to  the  piazza  where 
she  found  Colonel  Alton.  He  had  had  himself 
wheeled  out  in  his  armchair,  and  now  sat  with 

396 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

his  ammunition  pockets  slung  from  his  shoul 
ders  as  if  for  the  hunt,  and  his  shot  gun  at  full 
cock,  lying  across  his  knees.  His  gouty  feet  in 
the  meantime  were  snugly  resting  on  a  pillow 
on  top  of  the  little  board  parapet  before  men 
tioned. 

"What  are  you  doing  here,  father?  Why 
are  you  not  in  your  room?  It  will  kill  you  to 
be  exposed  in  this  night  air." 

"  Do  you  suppose,  daughter,  that  an  old  sol 
dier  like  me  concerns  himself  much  about 
night  air,  and  little  things  like  that?  I  am  a 
bit  helpless  to  get  about  without  assistance, 
but  I  can  sit  here  and  shoot  the  next  time  those 
fellows  come,  and  I  have  come  here  to  do  it. 
You  go  on  with  your  work,  dear.  But  if  I 
were  you,  I  would  withdraw  half  your  boys 
from  the  rifle  pits,  leaving  only  one  or  two  in 
each.  It  is  not  well  to  expose  your  entire  line 
in  front,  with  no  reserve  to  fall  back  upon." 

The  girl  acted  at  once  upon  the  advice  of  the 
old  commander,  who,  in  losing  the  use  of  his 
legs,  had  not  lost  his  skill  in  the  art  of  war. 
This  new  disposition  had  hardly  been  made, 
when  the  tories  appeared  again,  firing  this 
time  into  the  darkness  and  wildly.  Under  Col 
onel  Alton's  direction,  the  defenders  in  the  pi 
azza  reserved  their  fire,  the  boys  in  the  rifle 

397 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

pits  delivering  theirs  as  rapidly  as  they  might, 
and  then,  under  directions  previously  given 
them,  slipping  back  to  the  house.  The  tories 
were  apparently  deceived  as  to  the  location  of 
the  defence.  They  emptied  their  guns  at  the 
points  where  the  rifle  pits  were  situated,  be 
cause  from  those  points  alone  had  come  any  re 
sistance.  The  rifles  of  that  day  were  flint-lock 
ed,  muzzle  loaded  affairs  unprovided  with  car 
tridges,  and  loaded  only  by  the  measuring  out 
and  pouring  in  of  powder,  and  then  by  a  rather 
difficult  pushing  home  of  a  leaden  ball  sur 
rounded  by  a  bit  of  greasy  cloth  called  a 
"  patching."  A  gun  once  emptied  was  inno 
cent  of  harm  until  it  could  be  reloaded,  a  mat 
ter  requiring  from  half  a  minute  to  two  min 
utes,  according  to  the  coolness  or  excitement  of 
the  man  handling  the  weapon. 

At  Helen's  suggestion,  Jacqueline  had  had 
enough  pikes  made — long  spears  of  wood,  shod 
at  the  end  with  sharp-pointed  steel — to  arm 
all  her  force  in  case  of  the  failure  of  ammuni 
tion. 

With  the  instinct  of  the  old  soldier  strong  in 
him,  Colonel  Alton  seized  upon  the  moment 
when  the  tories  had  emptied  their  guns,  and 
himself  took  command  although  he  could  not 
rise.  With  quick,  sharp  orders  to  Jack  he  di- 

398 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

reeled  operations.  The  boys  fired  their  guns  at 
short  range  into  the  already  confused  ranks  of 
the  tories,  and  then  seizing  their  pikes  sallied 
forth  at  a  run,  and  dashed  headlong  upon  the 
enemy. 

It  was  the  work  of  but  a  moment,  but  it  was 
effective.  Half  a  minute  later  not  an  un- 
wounded  tory  remained  in  the  Alton  House 
grounds.  The  boys  returned,  promptly  reload 
ed  their  guns,  and  stood  ready  for  another  as 
sault.  But  no  other  came  during  that  night, 
nor  did  Colonel  Alton  think  another  would  be 
made  for  the  present.  He  knew  enough  of  the 
moods  that  govern  undisciplined  men  in  fight 
ing,  to  know  that  two  such  repulses  as  had  been 
given  to  this  band  would  work  a  demoraliza 
tion  from  which  it  would  take  time  and  effort 
for  them  to  recover.  He  suggested  to  Jacque 
line,  therefore,  that  she  go  at  once  to  the 
wounded  man's  bedside,  and  ascertain  if  any 
thing  could  be  done  for  him. 

To  her  horror  she  discovered  that  the  man 
was  none  other  than  Tiger  Bill  himself!  His 
wounds  were  apparently  not  very  serious,  but 
his  habits  of  life  were  against  him.  Soaked 
with  brandy  as  he  had  been  for  years  his  nerv 
ous  system  could  endure  but  little  of  shock, 
and  by  the  time  that  Jacqueline  reached  his 

399 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

bedside  he  was  raving  like  a  madman,  in  an  at 
tack  of  delirium  tremens.  It  required  two  or 
three  pairs  of  strong  arms  to  restrain  him,  but 
these  fortunately  were  furnished  by  negro  wo 
men  unfit  to  serve  as  a  part  of  the  defensive 
force. 

When  the  facts  were  reported  to  Colonel  Al 
ton,  he  said  to  Jack :  "  They  will  not  come 
again  to-night,  my  dear,  and  I  doubt  if  they 
come  again  at  all.  They  have  lost  their  leader, 
and  that,  to  a  crowd  of  this  kind,  usually 
means  dispersion." 

His  conjecture  was  right  so  far  as  a  renewal 
of  assault  that  night  was  concerned.  Jack's 
little  negroes  had  proved  themselves  good 
fighting  men,  but  to  save  their  lives  they  could 
not  conquer  their  racial  disposition  to  fall  into 
profound  slumber  the  moment  they  grew  still. 
They  were  good  soldiers  but  bad  sentinels,  so 
Captain  Jack  bade  them  sleep  on  their  arms 
where  they  were,  and  she  and  Helen  alone 
guarded  the  camp  throughout  the  night. 

The  next  day,  scouts  were  sent  out  to  learn 
what  the  enemy  might  be  doing,  and  if  possi 
ble  to  bring  a  surgeon  to  the  house  to  attend 
upon  Tiger  Bill.  The  surgeon  came  and 
brought  with  him  the  information  desired. 

He  was  a  little  old  man  oddly  dressed  in  a 

400 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

fashion  even  then  antiquated.  In  his  disposi 
tion,  an  uncontrollable  irascibility  and  an  in 
stinctive  gentleness  were  always  at  war  with 
each  other  for  the  mastery.  He  punctuated  all 
his  sentences  with  "  damns  "  and  interlarded 
them  with  gently  caressing  phrases.  His  atti 
tude  toward  each  human  being  was  either  one 
of  intense  antagonism  and  disgusted  contempt, 
or  one  of  exceeding  tenderness  and  affection. 
And  just  now  the  mingled  manifestation  of  his 
loathing  for  old  Tiger  Bill  and  his  caressing 
affection  for  Jacqueline  and  Helen  was  still 
further  complicated  by  his  surgeon's  instinct  of 
mercy  to  a  patient.  His  words  would  scarcely 
bear  repetition  here,  but  as  he  worked  over  the 
old  man's  wounds  a  continual  tide  of  pattering 
vituperation  flowed  from  his  lips,  interrupted 
now  and  then  by  exclamations  of  pity. 

"  You  deserve  all  you  got,  you  damned  old 
— Ah,  poor  fellow,  that  hurt  you,  didn't  it?  I 
couldn't  help  it.  After  all  I  am  glad  I  did  it, 
you  old  scoundrel — There,  dear,"  (turning  to 
Jacqueline)  "  don't  stand  so  close  to  the  bed. 
It  pains  you  I  know — I  had  to  open  that  artery, 
but  I  guess  after  all  I  must  tie  it  up,  or  the 
poor  fellow  will  be  dead  in  a  few  minutes,  and 
serve  him  right  too,  confound  him — Do,  dear 
young  lady,  leave  the  room  and  leave  this  old 

401 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

villain  to  me.  I  will  take  care  of  him. — No, 
no,  I  don't  mean  I  will  do  him  any  harm — not 
as  a  surgeon  at  least." — And  so  he  rattled  on 
and  on  and  on. 

When  he  was  through,  he  turned  to  Jacque 
line  and  said :  "  He  will  get  well  of  his  wounds 
easy  enough,  if  his  jimjams  do  not  return.  Of 
course  I  must  take  care  of  that.  Have  you  any 
opium  in  the  house,  my  dear  ?  " 

Overstrained  as  she  was,  suffering  from 
want  of  sleep,  full  of  apprehension,  and  in 
stinctively  sympathizing  with  the  old  man  in 
his  sufferings,  Jacqueline  nevertheless  could 
not  restrain  her  laughter  at  the  comical  chatter 
of  the  pudgy  little  old  doctor.  But  in  the  end 
her  indignation  conquered  her  other  emotions, 
as  soon,  at  least,  as  the  surgeon  had  reported 
old  Tiger  Bill  out  of  danger. 

"  I  am  glad  of  that  of  course,"  she  said,  to 
Helen,  "but  I  don't  think  I  ought  to  be. 
Think  of  it,  Helen,  that  old  beast  coming  here 
like  a  coward  at  the  head  of  armed  ruffians  to 
make  war  upon  a  helpless  invalid  like  my  fa 
ther,  and  a  lot  of  women  like  us !  Thank  God, 
we  have  been  able  to  beat  him  at  that  game 
anyhow !  "  Then  turning  to  her  maid,  she 
said :  "  Stay  here,  Molly,  and  if  we  are  want- 

402 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

ed,  any  of  us,  call  us.  We  must  go  and  get 
some  sleep." 

But  first  of  all  she  inspected  the  defences  of 
the  house.  She  saw  to  it  that  each  of  her 
young  soldiers  received  his  proper  meed  of 
praise,  reinforced  by  a  hearty  breakfast  and  a 
replenished  bullet-pouch.  Then  throwing  her 
self  upon  a  joggling  board — for  she  would  not 
leave  the  piazza,  until  the  danger  should  be  ut 
terly  past — she  fell  into  a  profound  slumber 
as  other  military  commanders  have  done  in  in 
tervals  between  their  periods  of  strenuous,  sol 
dierly  work. 

With  the  coming  of  night,  the  watchfulness 
was  resumed  again.  The  boys  were  returned 
about  nine  o'clock  to  their  rifle  pits,  and  each 
of  them  was  furnished  with  a  great  bowl  of 
strong,  steaming  coffee,  in  order  that  they 
might  remain  awake  during  their  tour  of  duty. 
They  had  slept  practically  all  day,  and  had  they 
been  of  a  race  other  than  their  own,  sleep 
would  now  have  been  impossible  to  them  even 
without  the  caffeine  stimulant.  But  Jacqueline 
knew  their  tendency  to  somnolence  when  inac 
tive,  too  well  to  trust  them  under  such  circum 
stances.  From  time  to  time  she  went  through 
the  rifle  pits  chatting  a  little  in  order  to  arouse 

403 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

her  soldiers,  and  replenishing  their  coffee 
bowls.  In  this  way  she  kept  them  on  the 
alert,  resorting  now  and  then  to  the  little  trick 
of  pretending  to  hear  the  enemy  coming  by  way 
of  additionally  stimulating  wakefulness. 

This  time  the  night  passed  nearly  away 
without  an  alarm.  It  was  almost  daylight, 
when  from  the  fig  orchard  lying  upon  the  east 
erly  side  of  the  house,  the  tories  suddenly  ap 
peared  and  made  a  furious  dash  to  gain  the 
piazza.  Had  they  accomplished  this,  their  suc 
cess  in  overcoming  resistance  would  have  been 
almost  certain.  Only  half  the  little  force  was 
stationed  behind  the  wooden  parapet.  The 
rest,  as  we  know,  were  in  the  rifle  pits  in  front. 
But  Jacqueline  had  foreseen  a  situation  of  this 
kind,  and  had  carefully  instructed  her  little  ne 
groes  in  anticipation  of  it.  She  blew  a  little 
whistle  twice.  That,  by  preconcerted  agree 
ment,  informed  the  young  soldiers  that  the  en 
emy  was  coming  from  the  east,  and  it  ordered 
them  also  to  retire  by  way  of  the  west  from  the 
rifle  pits  to  the  porch.  They  came  as  a  timely 
reinforcement  just  after  their  comrades  behind 
the  defences  had  emptied  their  guns;  and  their 
second  volley,  coming  unexpectedly  to  their 
enemies  after  they  had  supposed  all  the  defen- 

404 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

sive  rifles  emptied,  drove  the  tories  back  into 
the  fig  orchard. 

By  this  time  the  day  was  dawning,  and  Jac 
queline  could  see  that  the  force  in  the  orchard 
was  much  greater  than  that  which  she  had  suc 
ceeded  in  repelling  on  the  night  before.  She 
had  little  hope  now  of  making  her  resistance 
long  successful.  For  the  men  in  the  bushes 
spread  themselves  out  in  open  order  and  seized 
upon  every  point  from  which  they  could  fight 
behind  shelter.  Hencoops,  kitchen  chimneys, 
large  trees,  negro  quarters,  and  even  the  curb 
of  the  well  became  breastworks  for  the  enemy. 
From  these  they  poured  an  irregular  but  most 
annoying  fire  into  the  piazza,  which  of  course 
was  open  and  exposed  except  for  its  low,  plank 
defence.  Jack's  little  negroes  stood  their 
ground  most  manfully. 

"  Poor  fellows,"  she  said  to  herself,  "  their 
courage  will  cost  them  dear,  but  it  is  better  that 
they  should  die  here  fighting,  than  fall  into  the 
hands  of  those  men." 

So  she  kept  them  at  work  loading  as  rapidly 
as  they  could,  and  under  her  direction  reserv 
ing  their  fire  until  heads  were  exposed  from  be 
hind  the  barriers  occupied  by  the  enemy. 

"  Do  not  waste  your  bullets,"  she  presently 

405 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

enjoined  the  boys.  "  Do  not  shoot  until  you 
see  something  to  hit." 

Nevertheless,  the  enemy  was  steadily  gain 
ing  an  advantage.  A  squad  of  them  would 
now  and  then  quit  the  shelter  from  behind 
which  they  had  been  fighting,  and  hurriedly 
gain  another  nearer  at  hand.  In  this  way  they 
were  slowly  but  surely  encompassing  the  man 
sion  to  its  fall. 

A  fierce  fusilade  was  now  coming  from  be 
hind  a  log  building  used  as  a  kitchen,  and 
standing  only  thirty  or  forty  feet  distant  from 
the  house.  Between  it  and  the  house  was  a 
smaller  building  where  stores  were  kept. 
Should  the  enemy  gain  this,  further  resistance 
would  be  impossible,  and  Helen,  seeing  the  sit 
uation,  said  to  Jack : 

"  I  am  going  to  burn  them  out  of  that  kitch 
en."  With  that  she  seized  and  lighted  two  of 
the  great  pine  torches  in  the  dining  room,  and 
crouching  low  to  the  ground,  ran  quickly  to  the 
little  storehouse.  She  waited  within  it  for  her 
opportunity,  and,  passing  through,  she  ran  to 
the  kitchen  building,  climbed  up  the  logs  that 
formed  its  walls,  and  thrusting  the  torches 
through  the  window  of  the  little  upper  sleep 
ing-room,  plunged  them  into  the  straw  of  the 
cook's  mattress.  Dropping  instantly  to  the 

406 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

ground  she  retreated  to  the  house  under  a 
shower  of  bullets,  but  happily  received  no 
harm.  In  half  a  minute  the  kitchen  was  wrap 
ped  in  flames,  and  the  men  who  had  been  hid 
den  behind  it,  scampered  hastily  to  the  shelter 
of  the  big  trees  behind. 


407 


XXXII 


FIRE  and  SWORD 


one  problem  set  Roger  Alton  to 
solve  was  to  outride  Time  itself  in  his 
dash  homeward.  As  was  his  custom, 
he  kept  silent  for  a  time  as  the  cavalcade  thun 
dered  forward,  and  tried  to  think  out  all  the 
conditions  that  might  cause  delay,  and  all  the 
devices  that  might  help  haste.  At  the  top  of  a 
hill  he  halted  his  men  to  breathe  their  horses, 
and  during  the  brief  wait  he  gave  them  some 
hurried  orders. 

The  news  of  what  was  happening  at  Alton 
House  had  quickly  spread  among  them  from 
those  of  them  who  had  been  present  when 
Marlborough  delivered  his  message.  They 
knew  what  their  mission  was,  and  they  were 
eager  to  perform  it  well;  for  besides  being  sol 
diers,  earnest  in  their  work,  and  Americans 
full  of  implacable  hatred  to  the  tories — and 
especially  to  Tiger  Bill — they  were  devoted  to 

408 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

their  young  leader  with  a  loyalty  that  knew  no 
bounds.  Roger  said  to  them : 

"  Men,  we  are  going  to  ride  night  and  day. 
We  have  enough  in  our  food-bags  to  keep  us 
from  starving,  but  we  are  likely  to  ride  our 
horses  to  death.  Let  every  man  of  you  change 
his  horse  for  a  fresher  one  whenever  he  has  an 
opportunity.  Leave  the  old  one  in  exchange, 
and  tell  the  owner  of  the  new  one  that  if  he  is 
not  satisfied  with  the  trade,  Roger  Alton  will 
pay  full  price  in  gold  for  every  horse  taken. 
Tell  them  to  come  to  me  when  this  dash  is  over, 
and  I  will  satisfy  their  utmost  demands.  But 
take  the  horses  anyhow." 

"  And  say  also,"  said  young  Barnegal,  "  that 
Charles  Barnegal  goes  Roger  Alton's  security 
for  every  dollar.  I  pledge  every  acre  of  land 
that  I  own,  and  every  shilling  I  have  on  earth 
in  this  behalf.  But  keep  yourselves  well 
mounted,  and  keep  together  as  well  as  you 
can."  With  that  they  dashed  forward  again. 

Night  and  day  they  rode  without  ceasing, 
scarcely  pausing  even  to  give  their  horses 
breath,  and  when  one  of  them  dropped  out  of 
the  ranks  to  get  water,  or  to  exchange  his  horse 
for  a  better  one,  he  was  not  long  in  rejoining 
the  band. 

Fortunately,  no  enemy  was  encountered  on 

409 


A  CAROLTNA  CAVALIER 

the  way  to  delay  them,  and  fortunately  too  they 
had  Maryborough  for  their  guide.  The  young 
negro  had  been  a  ceaseless  night  hunter  since 
his  early  boyhood.  He  had  followed  raccoons 
and  opossums  through  all  the  woods  within 
twenty  miles  of  Alton  House,  and  on  the  black 
est  night  that  ever  came  could  thread  his  way 
successfully  through  every  swamp  and  wood 
land. 

Roger  called  him  to  his  side  as  they  reached 
the  region  over  which  he  knew  that  Marl- 
borough's  sporting  proclivities  had  made  him 
master.  He  said  to  him :  "  Marlborough,  we 
want  the  shortest  cuts.  Never  mind  the  roads 
when  you  know  a  quicker  way.  The  thing  is 
to  get  there." 

"  I  can  save  ten  miles  at  least,"  answered 
Marlborough,  "  and  between  you  and  me,  Mas' 
Roger,  my  head  aches  so  bad  that  I  am  in  a 
hurry  to  get  to  Alton  House." 

With  that  effort  to  disguise  his  emotion  by 
pretended  levity,  the  black  young  giant  burst 
into  tears  and  wept  like  a  woman.  For  expla 
nation,  when  he  had  conquered  his  emotion,  he 
said :  "  Mas'  Roger,  you  must  excuse  me,  but 
I  cannot  help  thinking  what  mought  be  hap- 
penin'  at  Alton  House.  Can't  we  ride  faster, 
Mas'  Roger?" 

410 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Three  o'clock  on  New  Year's  morning  found 
the  band  at  the  edge  of  a  swamp  ten  miles  from 
Alton  House,  as  the  crow  flies,  fifteen  at  least 
by  way  .of  the  nearest  traveled  road.  Here 
Marlborough  said  to  his  master :  "  Will  you 
blow  de  horses  a  bit,  while  I  goes  into  de 
bushes?  I  think  mebbe  I  can  find  something." 

Sure  of  the  negro's  loyalty  and  confident  of 
his  sagacity,  Roger  bade  him  go  on  the  pro 
posed  search.  He  dismounted  and  was  gone 
for  perhaps  ten  minutes,  until  his  master  be 
came  impatient  of  the  delay  and  was  about  to 
move  forward  when  he  reappeared. 

"  I'se  found  it,  sah,  I  thought  it  was  here.  I 
can  lead  you  now  through  de  swamp.  Dere's 
a  little  ole  hut  down  there  that  I  built  once  for 
some  hunters.  From  there  on  for  the  next 
five  miles  I  can  follow  de  bank  of  de  creek, 
though  de  water  is  a  good  deal  out  just  now, 
and  you  may  have  to  ride  up  to  your  stirrups 
now  and  then,  or  mebbe  swim  a  little.  It  will 
save  five  miles  at  least,  and  when  we  gets  out 
o*  de  swamp,  we'll  have  hard  open  pine  land 
for  de  rest  o'  de  way." 

"  Are  you  sure  that  you  can  find  the  way. 
We  don't  want  to  get  lost  in  the  swamp." 

"  Suah,  sah.  I've  tramped  it  many  a  time 
when  I  had  to  wade  up  to  my  armpits.  You 

411 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

won't  get  lost  if  you  foller  me,  and  you  won't 
lose  no  time,  nuther." 

With  that  he  mounted  and  led  the  way,  the 
men  riding  behind  in  single  file,  for  after  all  it 
was  scarcely  more  than  a  squirrel  path,  broken 
through  dense  cane  and  among  the  overhang 
ing  vines,  that  Marlborough  was  now  thread 
ing.  With  a  precision  that  seemed  almost  mir 
aculous,  the  negro  picked  his  way  in  the  in 
tense  darkness  through  a  morass  that  few 
white  men  would  have  been  able  to  pass  even 
in  the  brightest  day.  Half  an  hour  of  struggle 
with  vines  and  cane,  half  an  hour  of  flounder 
ing  in  mires  and  pushing  through  water  of 
varying  depths,  brought  the  party  at  last  to  the 
farther  limit  of  the  swamp  and  into  the  pine 
land.  There  they  renewed  the  gallop,  and 
pushing  forward  in  a  course  as  straight  as  the 
flight  of  a  bee,  came  in  a  little  while  longer  into 
the  open  fields  of  the  Alton  House  plantation. 
Here  Roger  was  at  home  and  needed  no  further 
guidance. 

Just  as  the  day  was  breaking  he  heard  the 
sound  of  guns.  His  men  heard  it  too,  and  like 
madmen  they  dashed  forward  pell-mell  wait 
ing  for  no  leadership,  every  man  pushing  his 
horse  to  his  utmost  in  his  effort  to  gain  the 
front  and  save  time.  Now  and  then  a  horse 

412 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

fell  exhausted.  His  rider  would  throw  him 
self,  arms  and  all,  upon  the  crupper  of  a  com 
panion's  steed.  Still  it  was  on,  on,  on,  they 
went,  no  man  thinking  of  himself  or  of  any 
thing  in  the  world  except  the  rescue  of  the  help 
less  women  assailed  by  cowards  at  Alton 
House. 

As  they  approached  nearer,  a  sudden  burst 
of  flame  greeted  their  eyes. 

"  They  have  fired  the  house,"  said  Barnegal. 

"  Yes,  and  God  knows,"  said  Roger,  "  what 
has  happened  first.  I  know  that  Jack  has  made 
the  stoutest  resistance  she  could,  but  they  have 
beaten  her  and  got  possession." 

The  words  were  muttered  between  his  teeth 
with  a  note  of  intended  vengeance  in  every 
syllable.  The  men  too  were  excited,  and  an 
gry  beyond  their  customary  resource  of  swear 
ing.  They  gritted  their  teeth  and  rode  silent 
ly,  every  man  thinking  of  the  vengeance  he 
meant  to  wreak  as  soon  as  his  over-taxed  ani 
mal  could  bear  him  to  the  scene  of  action. 

Without  pausing  to  form  in  any  regular  or 
der,  Roger  led  his  men  through  the  garden 
beds,  over  the  glass  of  the  cold  frames,  through 
a  fence  which  Bullet  crushed  with  his  chest  as 
he  came  upon  it  unawares,  into  the  midst  of 
the  tories  in  the  fig  orchard. 

413 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

He  saw  in  an  instant  that  the  enemy  had  not 
in  fact  gained  possession  of  the  house,  that  Jac 
queline  was  still  holding  out,  and  in  order  that 
she  might  know  that  rescue  was  at  hand,  and 
in  order  also  that  her  young  riflemen  might  not 
pour  a  volley  into  his  own  band,  he  blew  a  blast 
which  he  knew  she  would  recognize,  upon  the 
silver-mounted  huntsman's  horn  that  he  always 
carried  slung  over  his  shoulder,  and  used  in 
lieu  of  a  bugle. 

At  that  instant  his  men  fell  upon  the  tories 
with  a  savagery  and  determination  not  less- 
destructive  in  its  purpose  than  that  of  the  war 
painted  wild  Indian.  Such  of  the  tories  as 
did  not  fall  at  the  first  onset,  threw  down 
their  arms,  and  threw  up  their  hands  begging 
for  quarter. 

Roger  and  young  Barnegal  called  to  their 
men  that  the  enemy  had  surrendered,  but  Bur 
ton  the  bullet-headed,  turned  to  the  men  near 
est  him  with  the  laconic  remark: 

"  Surrender  be  damned !  " 

The  men  understood  him,  and  they  shared 
his  impulse.  In  the  fury  of  their  excitement 
and  anger  they  were  determined  to  leave  no 
man  of  all  that  tory  band  alive.  Right  and 
left  they  dealt  their  sabre-strokes,  and  it  was 
only  by  placing  himself  between  them  and  the 

414 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

little  squad  which  was  all  that  remained  of  the 
enemy,  that  Roger  at  last  succeeded  in  stopping 
the  slaughter,  and  rescuing  five  of  the  men 
alive  as  prisoners. 

For  weeks  and  months  afterwards  Burton 
and  the  men  who  had  been  around  him  in  the 
melee  used  to  wonder  over  their  camp  fires 
"  why  on  airth  Cap'n  Alton  dun  it.  Why  on 
airth  didn't  he  let  us  finish  the  job  while  we  wuz 
at  it?  Whoever  hearn  of  giving  quarter  to 
rattlesnakes,  or  takin'  mad  dogs  prisoners  ?  " 

"  Waal,"  answered  one  of  the  men,  "  of 
course  I  agree  with  you.  I  ain't  got  no  use  at 
all  fer  lettin'  a  man  live  when  he's  a  coward 
and  fights  wimmin.  But  you  know,  the 
Cap'n's  more  differenter.  He's  eddicated,  an' 
somehow  eddication  makes  a  fellow  soft-like 
in  his  insides." 

"  Who  says  Cap'n  Alton's  soft-like  ?  "  spoke 
up  one  of  the  men  in  obvious  resentment. 

"  Oh,  I  didn't  mean,"  responded  the  other, 
"  I  didn't  mean  just  what  you  think.  He's  got 
grit,  Cap'n  Alton  has.  He's  got  sand  in  his 
gizzard  if  ever  a  man  had  in  this  world — I  don't 
mean  that — but  when  he's  got  the  other  fellow 
down,  he  won't  kick  him,  even  if  he  knows  him 
to  be  a  coward." 

"  Somehow,  I  can't  help  liking  that  in  him," 

415 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

said  another  one  of  the  party,  "  though  of 
course  we  can't  rise  to  it,  as  the  lawyers  say  in 
court.  We  can't  quite  understand  it,  but  I 
guess  arter  all,  it's  right.  Them  fellers  had 
give  up,  and  you  bet  'fore  Cap'n  Alton  let  'em 
go,  they  wusn't  in  any  condition  to  fight 
again." 

"  What  did  he  do  with  'em  ?  "  asked  another. 

"  He  turned  'em  over  to  some  of  Sumter's 
men,  and  they  took  'em  off  up  country.  I 
reckon  they's  prisoners  somewheres  now.  Any 
how,  they  ain't  in  the  business  of  fightin' 
women  no  more,  and  I  guess  there  won't  be 
much  more  of  that  sort  of  fightin'  down  in  our 
part  of  the  country." 

But  this  is  getting  ahead  of  our  story. 

The  moment  Roger  had  secured  his  prison 
ers  against  harm,  he  directed  Burton  with  a 
squad  of  men  to  scour  the  grounds  about  the 
house  and  the  fields  for  a  mile  away. 

"  See  that  there's  nobody  left  with  a  gun," 
he  said  to  his  follower. 

Burton,  biting  off  a  large  mouthful  of  to 
bacco  responded  with  the  quite  unmilitary  but 
entirely  characteristic  remark :  "  You  bet." 

Then  Roger  and  Barnegal  hurried  to  the 
house  and  met  Jacqueline  and  Helen  at  the  en 
trance.  Both  were  agitated  after  the  terrible 

416 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

experience  they  had  been  through,  but  both 
were  radiant  with  the  sense  of  victory.  Hur 
ried  greetings  were  followed  by  equally  hurried 
inquiries  on  the  part  of  the  two  young  men  as 
to  the  amount  of  damage  done. 

Two  of  the  brave  little  black  fellows  who 
had  so  stubbornly  defended  the  mansion  were 
lying  on  improvised  cots,  and  the  little  old  doc 
tor  who  had  remained  at  the  house  after  his 
first  summons,  attended  their  wounds.  None 
had  been  killed,  but  the  physician  would  not 
answer  yet  for  the  results  in  the  case  of  these 
two.  "  Fortunately,"  he  said,  "  they  will  have 
good  nursing,  anyhow,"  and  with  that  the  old 
man  went  off  talking  more  to  himself  than  to 
anybody  else,  and  talking  mainly  in  terms  of 
profanity  concerning  the  dastardly  outrage 
that  had  been  committed. 

"  Damn  it,  Captain  Alton,"  he  said,  sud 
denly,  "  I  am  afraid  I  have  saved  the  life  of  the 
old  miscreant  that  brought  it  all  about.  I  have 
done  my  best  for  old  Tiger  Bill,  and  damn  him, 
I  believe  he  is  going  to  get  well." 

At  this  moment  a  negro  woman  rushed  into 
the  front  room  where  this  conversation  was  be 
ing  held,  and  announced  that  Alton  House  was 
on  fire.  The  flames  which  had  served  so  well 
in  repelling  the  attack  of  the  tories  had  been 

417 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

caught  by  the  wind  and  carried  to  the  mansion 
itself. 

Roger's  first  care  was  to  rescue  the  inmates 
of  the  house,  particularly  the  wounded.  The 
two  stricken  pickaninny  soldiers  were  carried 
by  their  comrades  to  a  negro  cabin,  but  it  was  a 
much  more  difficult  task  to  rescue  Tiger  Bill. 
He  had  grown  stout  in  his  later  years  for  one 
thing,  and  at  the  first  excitement  of  the  fire  he 
had  become  hysterical.  Yet  after  some  diffi 
culty  he  was  sufficiently  controlled  to  be  carried 
to  a  place  of  safety.  The  little  old  doctor  ex 
pressed  the  devout  hope  that  perhaps  some  of 
his  wounds  had  been  opened  in  the  process,  and 
then  went  to  bind  them  up  in  the  event  that  that 
should  prove  to  be  so. 

All  possible  aid  was  summoned,  including  all 
of  Roger's  men — to  extinguish  the  fire,  but  a 
very  few  minutes'  work  showed  clearly  that 
there  was  no  hope  of  accomplishing  that;  at 
tention  was  given  instead  to  the  saving  of  such 
valuables  as  could  be  easily  and  quickly  re 
moved. 

Before  the  traditional  breakfast  hour  of  Al 
ton  House  had  come,  there  was  nothing  left  of 
Alton  House  but  the  splendid  thickness  of  its 
massive  walls.  Jacqueline,  who  had  borne  up 
bravely  in  danger  gave  way  completely  as 

418 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

she  saw  the  destruction  wrought  upon  her 
home. 

When  all  was  done  that  could  be  done,  and 
Colonel  Alton  had  been  comfortably  installed 
in  his  wheel-chair  in  an  outhouse  Roger  called 
his  band  to  arms,  and  set  out  upon  the  work 
that  he  now  appointed  to  himself. 

"  I  mean  to  clear  this  whole  region  of  to- 
ries,"  he  said.  "  The  fighting  is  growing  vig 
orous  in  the  North  and  the  British  are  drawing 
away  all  of  their  regulars  that  have  hitherto 
been  scattered  about  the  country  to  encourage 
and  lead  these  tory  raids.  The  tories,  left  to 
themselves,  will  not  accomplish  much,  I  fancy. 
At  any  rate,  we  will  leave  none  of  them  here 
with  a  gun  in  possession  or  within  reach." 

Leaving  young  Barnegal  to  comfort  Jacque 
line  and  to  superintend  such  arrangements  as 
must  now  be  made  for  the  comfort  of  the  house 
hold,  Roger  took  his  departure  without  waiting 
even  for  such  breakfast  as  could  be  prepared. 

Just  before  he  went  the  old  doctor  came  to 
him,  his  eyes  positively  sparkling  with  delight. 

"  It  has  done  for  him,  Captain  Alton ;  I  am 
sure  it  has  done  for  him,  damn  him.  I  have 
got  his  wounds  all  right,  but  this  last  fright — 
he's  an  awful  coward  isn't  he? — has  brought 
back  his  jimjams,  and  upon  my  word  I  don't 

419 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

believe  I  shall  be  able  to  conquer  them.  At  any 
rate,  if  I  do,  I  will  give  you  notice  somehow  so 
you  can  hold  him  prisoner." 

Roger  knew  the  necessity  of  holding  the  old 
man  prisoner.  He  knew  how  certainly  the 
men  under  his  own  command  would  have  taken 
him  out  and  hanged  him  to  the  nearest  tree  if 
they  had  been  permitted  to  get  at  him.  So  he 
was  glad  enough  to  draw  off  his  force,  and  oc 
cupy  them  in  other  and  more  legitimate  ways. 


420 


XXXIII 

THE  PAPERS  in  the  CASE 

THE  doctor's  prognosis  proved  correct. 
Old  Barnegal,  in  spite  of  all  that 
could  be  done  for  him,  remained  a 
raving  maniac  for  two  days  longer,  and  then 
died  in  a  spasm,  the  severity  of  which  awakened 
the  pity  even  of  the  doctor  himself. 

For  young  Barnegal  this  event  of  course  cre 
ated  a  totally  new  situation.  He  sent  a  mes 
senger  to  inform  Roger  of  his  plans,  so  that  he 
might  be  summoned  to  his  commander's  side 
in  the  event  of  need,  and  then  went  at  once  to 
the  lawyer  who  had  long  had  charge  of  his 
uncle's  affairs.  He  found  him  a  man  scrupu 
lously  exact  in  everything,  from  the  tying  of  his 
queue  or  the  polishing  of  his  finger  nails,  to  the 
indexing  and  classifying  and  digestion  of  docu 
ments. 

After  Barnegal  had  told  him  of  Tiger  Bill's 
death — a  bit  of  news  which  the  old  gentleman 
received  without  the  slightest  sign  of  emotion 

421 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

of  any  kind, — the  lawyer  said  to  the  young 
man: 

"  You  of  course  are  the  only  heir.  There  are 
no  other  relatives  to  divide  the  estate  with  you, 
and  certainly  none  to  dispute  your  right  to  the 
succession.  I  see  no  reason  why  you  should 
not  go  to  The  Live  Oaks  and  take  possession  at 
once.  As  for  the  legal  formalities,  if  you  de 
sire  me,  Mr.  Barnegal,  to  continue  in  my  capa 
city  as  counsel  to  the  estate,  I  will  arrange  them 
with  very  little  trouble  to  you.  I  shall  ask  you 
now  and  then  for  your  signature — that  is  all." 

"But,"  said  young  Barnegal,  "What  if 
there  is  a  will?  My  uncle  never  intended  to 
die,  leaving  his  estate  to  me,  I  know." 

"  I  presume  not,"  answered  the  lawyer.  "  In 
fact,  I  have  gathered  that  much  from  time  to 
time  from  his — well,  let  us  call  it  his  conversa 
tion  if  you  will — but  still  I  tell  you  there  is  no 
will.  The  fact  is,  that  your  uncle  was  a  person 
much  under  the  domination  of  superstition, 
He  had  an  impression — which  I  find  common 
enough  among  men  of  his  temperament  and — 
well  let  me  say  his  habits — that  the  making  of 
a  will  is  apt  to  prove  the  precursor  of  an  early 
death.  He  often  talked  with  me  on  the  subject 
and  often  declared  his  purpose  presently  to  at 
tend  to  that  business.  But  I  assure  you,  he 

422 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

never  did  so.  I  have  all  his  papers  in  charge 
here  in  my  office."  And  opening  a  case 
marked  "William  Barnegal,"  he  showed  within 
an  orderly  array  of  documents,  each  carefully 
folded  and  endorsed,  and  all  of  them  neatly 
tied  with  red  tape  into  bundles,  each  bundle 
reposing  in  a  carefully  labeled  pigeon-hole  of 
its  own. 

"  By  the  way,"  said  the  man  of  law,  taking 
out  one  of  these  parcels,  "  Here  are  some  docu 
ments  which  it  may  be  of  interest  to  you  to 
examine  at  your  earliest  leisure.  They  belong 
of  right  to  you.  They  belonged  to  you  of  right 
while  your  uncle  lived,  though  I  could  never 
persuade  him  to  let  me  give  them  to  you.  He 
always  intended  instead  to  destroy  them  in 
order  that  they  might  never  fall  into  your 
hands.  Fortunately,  I  have  been  able  to  pre 
vent  that.  He  has  believed  for  many  months 
past  that  he  had  destroyed  them.  He  was  con 
fident  in  his  own  mind  that  he  had  burned  them 
in  the  dining-room  fire  at  the  Live  Oaks, 
where  he  did  in  fact  burn  copies  of  them  which 
I  had  carefully  made,  and  which,  when  he  de 
manded  the  documents  at  my  hands  for  the 
purpose  of  destroying  them,  I  substituted  for 
the  originals.  You  know  the  old  gentleman's 
— well,  let  us  say,  um — unfortunate  habits  in 

423 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

life.  On  the  day  in  question,  I  went  to  him  on 
a  summons  demanding  that  I  bring  these  docu 
ments  to  him.  Foreseeing  his  purpose,  and 
realizing  how  unjust  to  you  it  would  be  to  per 
mit  their  destruction,  I  bound  up  copies  in  a 
bundle  precisely  similar  to  this,  labeled  it  as  this 
is  labeled,  and  going  to  him,  earnestly  entreated 
him  not  to  destroy  the  papers.  He  grew  angry 
with  me — for  indeed  on  that  day  he  was  rather 
'more  under — um,  let  us  say  the  influence  of 
stimulants — than  usual.  As  I  argued,  and 
pleaded,  withholding  the  papers,  or  seeming  to 
withhold  them,  he  grew  hotter  and  at  last  he 
snatched  the  parcel  from  my  hand,  glanced  at 
the  superscription,  and  tossed  the  whole  into 
the  fire.  Naturally,  I  did  not  tell  him  of  the 
mistake  he  had  made,  or  of  the  substitution 
which  I  had  felt  it  my  duty  to  practice.  I,  um 
— let  us  say — simulated  regret  at  the  catastro 
phe,  and  after  a  while  I  left  him.  Thus  you 
see  the  original  documents  which  I  know  con 
cern  you  in  very  vitally  important  ways,  have 
remained  in  my  possession,  and  I  have  now  the 
pleasure  of  delivering  them  into  your  hands. 
No,  don't  open  them  now,  please,"  seeing  that 
Barnegal  in  his  eagerness  was  about  to  cut  the 
red  tape  ligatures,  "  don't  open  them  now, 
please,  but  when  you  are  quite  calm.  These 

424 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

documents  are  partly  in  English  and  partly  in 
Spanish ;  but  mainly  they  are  in  French,  a  lan 
guage  which  I  believe  you  read  with  reasonable 
ease."  Barnegal  signified  that  he  did.  "  Sup 
posing  that  your  knowledge  of  Spanish  was — " 

"  I  know  nothing  whatever  of  Spanish,"  said 
Barnegal. 

"  Ah,  so  I  feared,"  said  the  man  of  law, 
"  and,  as  I  was  about  to  say,  anticipating  that 
difficulty,  I  have  been  at  pains  to  make  careful 
translations  of  the  Spanish  documents  into 
English,  placing  them  each  with  its  original  in 
order  that  you  might  have  no  trouble  in  going 
through  the  whole  in  consecutive  order.  Let 
me  urge  upon  you  to  read  them  only  in  that 
way.  It  would  produce  confusion  even  in  a 
legally  trained  mind  to  examine  them  other 
wise  than  in  their  proper  order.  You  will  go 
at  once  to  The  Live  Oaks,  I  presume  ?  " 

Barnegal  signified  his  intention  of  doing  so. 

"  Very  well.  You  will  perhaps  have  need 
to  consult  me  now  and  then  in  order  to  learn 
matters  of  business  detail  which  it  would  be  im 
portant  for  you,  as  the  new  master  of  the  estate, 
to  know.  Pray  call  upon  me  whenever  you 
wish.  Your  uncle's  papers  at  home — if  he  left 
»any — will  afford  you  probably  little  if  any  as 
sistance  in  elucidating  his  affairs.  He  was  a 

425 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

careless  person  in  such  matters,  as  I  have  had 
frequent  occasion  to  observe,  and  in  view  of 
that  fact  I  have  for  some  years  past — in  fact 
ever  since — well,  let  us  say,  um,  ever  since — 
well,  ever  since  his — unfortunate  appetites  if  I 
may  so  characterize  them — got  the  better  of 
his  discretion,  I  have  made  it  a  practice  to  pos 
sess  myself  of  every  written  document  belong 
ing  to  him  which  might  at  any  time  be  needed 
in  the  settlement  of  his  affairs.  No,  no,  you 
mistake  me,  if  you  suppose  I  have  done  this 
surreptitiously.  I  have  in  each  case  notified 
him  that  I  had  taken  the  paper,  and  would  hold 
it  subject  to  his  examination  at  any  time.  I 
did  so  conscientiously  in  the  discharge  of  my 
duties  as  his  solicitor.  It  was  with  respect  to 
those  documents  that  you  have  in  your  pocket 
and  which  he  wished  to  destroy — it  was  with 
respect  to  them  alone  that  I  was, — that  I  ever 
practised,  well,  let  us  say — reserve  in  dealing 
with  him,  and  I  felt  myself  justified  in  doing 
so,  as  I  have  tried  to  explain  to  you,  by  my  con 
sciousness  that  the  documents  in  question  be 
longed  to  you  rather  than  to  him,  and  that  in 
any  case  he  had  no  right  to  destroy  them.  In 
the  absence  of  such  a  right,  it  was  my  duty  to 
prevent  him  from  doing  an  act  which,  if  not 
quite  criminal,  would  have  bordered  so  nearly 

426 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

upon  crime  as  to  be — well,  let  us  say  at  the 
least — regrettable. ' ' 

And  so,  with  a  laborious  precision  which 
amused  while  it  annoyed  the  impatient  young 
man,  the  lawyer  laid  before  him  every  fact  and 
consideration  which  he  deemed  it  necessary 
then  to  communicate,  stating  each  with  as  mi 
nute  care,  and  as  much  exactitude  of  phrase  as 
if  he  had  been  writing  documents  to  be  pres 
ently  submitted  to  the  scrutiny  of  a  chancery 
court. 

When  young  Barnegal  entered  the  mansion 
of  The  Live  Oaks,  whose  late  master  lay  still 
unburied  at  Alton  House,  he  found  among  the 
servants  there  no  indication  of  sorrow  at  their 
master's  death.  On  the  contrary,  those  who 
had  been  his  immediate  servitors — the  house 
hold  people — quickly  gathered  in  the  hall  to 
welcome  their  new  master  with  faces  that  indi 
cated  only  joy  in  the  change. 

When  the  young  man  had  spoken  a  few 
words  to  them,  and  sent  them  away  about  their 
several  businesses,  he  wandered  for  a  little 
while  through  the  empty  rooms,  keenly  feeling 
their  desolate  loneliness,  and  after  a  time  find 
ing  himself  moved  to  some  small  degree  at 
least  of  pity  for  the  man  who  had  so  long  lived 
there  with  no  companionship  but  that  of  his 

427 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

own  evil  temper,  no  associates  but  his  own  un 
happy  moods. 

"  What  a  life  it  must  have  been ! "  he  ex 
claimed  to  himself.  "  For  years  this  uncle  of 
mine  has  dwelt  here  with  no  family,  no  wife, 
no  children,  no  relatives,  and  even  no  visitors. 
I  doubt  if  any  white  man  has  crossed  his 
threshold  in  friendship  for  a  dozen  years  at 
least.  What  a  life,  what  a  life,  what  a  life! 
Tragedy  would  be  light  reading  in  comparison 
with  the  story  of  it." 

But  it  was  now  quite  dark,  and  the  young 
man,  finding  no  bell  anywhere  rapped  upon  the 
table  for  one  of  the  servants  to  come  to  him, 
unconsciously  using  the  signal  to  which  the 
dead  man  had  so  long  accustomed  those  about 
him.  The  negro  boy  was  startled  at  first  by 
the  thought  that  it  was  his  late  master's  ghost 
that  had  summoned  him.  He  entered  with 
face  and  lips  of  that  peculiar  hue  which  in  black 
men  takes  the  place  of  pallor.  Young  Barne- 
gal  ordered  lights,  and  the  servant  announced 
that  supper  was  served  in  the  dining-room. 
The  youth  had  fasted  since  early  morning,  and 
had  made  a  long  journey  on  horseback,  but 
until  now  he  had  not  thought  of  food,  so  that 
he  was  surprised  when  he  recognized  his  own 
famished  condition. 

428 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Hastily  despatching  his  supper,  he  bade  the 
servants  clear  away  the  table  furniture,  bring 
abundant  lights  and  leave  him  alone.  "  If 
I  want  you  I  will  call  you,"  he  said.  Then  he 
sat  himself  down  and  opened  the  bundle  which 
he  knew  held  his  fate. 

Taking  up  the  first  paper,  he  found  it  to  be 
in  the  lawyer's  handwriting.  It  read  as  fol 
lows  in  its  introduction: 

"  There  are  nine  papers  in  this  parcel.  They 
are  the  property  of  Charles  Barnegal,  the 
younger,  the  son  and  successor  of  the  late 
Charles  Barnegal,  and  in  the  event  of  my  death 
they  should  be  placed  in  his  hands  without  ex 
amination.  These  papers  relate  solely  to  the 
question  of  the  legitimacy  of  the  said  Charles 
Barnegal,  the  younger.  They  are  papers  writ 
ten  long  before  that  gentleman  was  born  and 
cherished  for  a  time  by  the  relatives  of  his 
mother  in  France.  Later  they  came  into  pos 
session  of  William  Barnegal,  his  uncle,  who 
claimed  them  on  the  occasion  of  a  death  in 
France,  and  took  possession  of  them  in  his 
capacity  as  guardian  for  his  nephew,  the  said 
Charles  Barnegal,  the  younger." 

Then  followed  a  precise  schedule  of  the  pa 
pers  in  the  bundle  and  a  synopsis  of  each  of 
them  in  its  turn,  which  Barnegal  ran  through 

429 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

with  constantly  increasing  excitement.  Before 
he  had  finished  his  perusal  of  this  first  docu 
ment,  his  eyes  were  aflame  and  his  tongue 
parched.  He  looked  up  from  his  work  in 
search  of  water,  and  found  instead  a  tray  care 
fully  set  out  with  a  decanter  of  brandy  and  ac 
companying  glasses.  The  sight  recalled  him 
to  himself,  and  with  an  amused  smile  he  mut 
tered  "  Obviously  the  habits  of  the  late  owner 
of  The  Live  Oaks  were  well  understood  by  his 
servitors,  and  they  do  not  know  how  completely 
they  have  died  with  him."  With  that  he  rapped 
upon  the  table,  bade  the  boy  remove  the  liquor 
and  bring  fresh  water  in  its  stead.  The  young 
negro  in  astonishment  glanced  at  the  decanter, 
and  saw  that  its  contents  were  still  untouched. 
After  he  had  served  his  master  with  the  water 
demanded,  the  boy  hastened  to  the  kitchen  to 
relate  this  wonderful  news  to  the  other  serv 
ants  gathered  there. 

Barnegal  proceeded  to  read  the  papers  men 
tioned  in  the  schedule.  The  first  was  a  letter 
from  Emile  Gamier  to  Charles  Barnegal. 
"  From  my  maternal  grandfather,"  the  young 
man  said  to  himself,  "  to  my  father."  It  was 
in  French  and  read  as  follows: 

"  My  notary  informs  me  of  certain  matters  which  it 
will  be  necessary  for  you  to  explain  to  me  before  I 

43° 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

can  proceed  further  with  our  negotiations  for  your  mar 
riage  with  my  daughter.  Information  has  been  given 
me  from  no  less  authoritative  a  source  than  your 
brother,  Mr.  William  Barnegal,  to  the  effect  that  two 
years  and  four  months  ago  you  were  married  in  Madrid 
to  a  woman  whose  name  Mr.  William  Barnegal  does 
not  know ;  that  she  was  a  woman  far  beneath  you  in 
social  status,  ignorant,  and  perhaps  depraved;  that  after 
a  brief  infatuation  you  quitted  her  or  she  quitted  you, 
and  you  came  to  France.  There  is  no  intimation  from 
your  brother  that  this  woman  is  dead.  If  not,  she  must 
still  be  your  wife,  and  you  are  not  free  to  marry  any 
other  woman.  Permit  me,  sir,  to  hope  that  there  is 
some  error  in  this  information,  for  I  am  loath  to  believe 
that  you  would  be  capable  of  asking  for  the  hand  of  a 
pure  and  highly-bred  young  woman,  knowing  yourself 
to  be  already  a  married  man." 

There,  with  the  usual  formalities  of  signa 
ture  and  address,  the  letter  ended. 

The  next  document  was  the  reply  to  this  let 
ter.  In  it  young  Barnegal's  father,  then  him 
self  a  young  man,  had  written  briefly,  saying : 

"  In  answer  to  your  inquiries,  I  beg  to  say  that  if  you 
will  give  me  sufficient  time,  I  will  secure  from  Madrid 
and  lay  before  you  quite  satisfactory  evidence  of  the 
essential  falsity  of  the  information  given  to  you  concerning 
me.  I  will  show  you  that  at  the  time  of  my  supposed 
marriage  to  a  Spanish  woman  who  called  herself  Maria 
Ruiz,  she  was  a  person  incapable  of  contracting  mar 
riage,  being  in  fact  the  wife  already  of  a  Spanish  mer 
chant  who  had  discarded  her  for  her  dissoluteness.  I 
may  say  by  way  of  explanation  that  at  the  time  I  met 
her  she  was  posing  as  the  maiden  daughter  of  a  widow, 

431 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

and  seemed  rather  well  placed  socially,  though  deeply  in 
need  of  money.  An  accident  threw  her  into  my  way, 
and  both  she  and  the  woman  who  professed  to  be  her 
mother  made  the  most  of  it.  Their  appeals  to  my  sym 
pathies  and  to  a  certain  sense  of  chivalry  were  too  much 
for  the  not  over  strong  head  of  a  young  man  foot  loose 
in  the  world  and  possessed  of  ample  fortune.  I  married 
the  young  woman,  as  I  supposed,  only  to  learn  very 
shortly  into  what  a  trap  I  had  been  drawn.  I  found  both 
women  to  be  adventuresses  of  the  worst  possible  kind. 
I  learned  also  of  the  fact  that  the  woman  was  already  a 
wife.  Proof  of  these  facts  I  will  lay  before  you  in  such 
shape  as  to  satisfy  you  I  am  sure,  and  surely  such  facts 
should  be  sufficient  to  acquit  me  of  the  charge  brought 
against  me.  But  these  are  not  all.  I  will  show  you 
further  by  indisputable  official  evidence,  that  the  woman 
herself  is  dead.  Otherwise, — void  as  our  marriage  was 
from  the  beginning, — I  should  not  now  be  a  suitor  for 
the  hand  of  a  woman  whom  I  esteem  as  I  do  your 
daughter." 

Then  followed  a  mass  of  legal  documents 
written  in  Spanish,  and  attested  by  many  Span 
ish  notarial  seals.  They  told  in  effect  the  story 
that  Barnegal  had  promised  to  establish,  and 
they  added  to  it  the  bit  of  information  that  the 
woman  in  the  case  was  very  certainly  dead,  for 
the  reason  that  she  had  been  garotted  for  crime 
under  the  decree  of  a  court. 

Added  to  these  were  some  letters  from  Emile 
Gamier,  warm,  enthusiastic,  loyal  letters  ad 
dressed  to  the  young  man  whom  he  had  per 
mitted  scandal  to  wrong  in  his  mind,  and  there 

432 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

was  one  little  letter,  written  under  permission 
evidently,  and  guarded  in  its  phrases,  as  a 
French  maiden's  letters  to  her  affianced  hus 
band  must  always  be,  signed  in  the  little  femi 
nine  hand  with  which  Charles  had  become  fa 
miliar  as  the  handwriting  of  his  mother  many, 
many  years  before. 

Rising  from  the  perusal  of  these  documents, 
the  young  man  paced  the  floor  until  he  came  in 
front  of  the  portrait  of  his  late  uncle.  It  had 
been  painted  before  dissipation  and  evil  tempers 
had  wrought  their  full  havoc  upon  the  visage 
depicted  in  it,  but  the  likeness  was  strong  yet, 
and  the  picture  seemed  to  stare  at  him  there  in 
the  midnight  with  sinister  eyes. 

"  What  a  devil  you  were !  "  the  youth  ex 
claimed,  as  he  looked  back  into  the  eyes  that 
seemed  to  menace  him  from  the  canvas. 
"  What  a  traitor  you  were !  What  an  incon 
ceivable  liar  and  slanderer  you  were!  " 

Midnight  as  it  was,  and  weary  as  the  young 
man  ought  to  have  been,  but  was  not,  he  has 
tily  rapped  upon  the  table,  and  the  serving  man, 
who  had  been  asleep  in  the  corridor,  as  hastily 
responded. 

"  Have  my  horse  saddled  and  brought  to  the 
door  immediately,"  was  his  command. 

433 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Fifteen  minutes  later  young  Barnegal  was 
pushing  his  horse  at  an  almost  cruel  pace  on  the 
way  to  Alton  House. 


434 


XXXIV 

THE  END  of  a  COMPLEXITY 

rOUNG  BARNEGAL  arrived  at  Alton 
House  just  as  Jacqueline  and  her 
guests,  the  Vargaves,  were  sitting 
down  to  breakfast  in  the  negro  cabin  which  had 
served  as  their  dining-room  since  the  burning 
of  the  mansion.  He  had  ridden  so  hard  and  so 
recklessly  of  mud,  that  his  clothing  was  even 
more  dishevelled  than  it  had  been  at  the  end  of 
the  long  march  of  rescue.  His  face  was  hag 
gard  with  excitement  and  loss  of  sleep,  and  the 
first  impression  his  appearance  produced  upon 
Jacqueline  was  one  of  alarm. 

"  Something  has  happened,"  she  said  to  him 
— "  something  terrible.  Tell  me,  Charlie,  tell 
me  quickly  what  it  is." 

"  Yes,  dear,  something  has  happened,"  he 
replied,  "  but  not  something  terrible — some 
thing  glad,  and  glorious  and  good  instead." 

Then  he  hastily  told  her  the  substance  of 
what  he  had  discovered,  and  the  character  of 

435 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

the  revelation  made  to  him  by  the  bundle  of 
papers.  His  first  impulse  was  to  ask  an  au 
dience  at  once  of  Colonel  Alton,  whose  suffer 
ings  did  not  permit  him  to  join  the  family  at 
table,  but  for  the  first  time  in  her  life  Jacqueline 
fainted.  The  courage  that  had  carried  her 
through  trials  which  few  women  or  few  men 
either  could  have  borne  so  well,  gave  way  in 
the  presence  of  the  great  good  news. 

When  she  was  sufficiently  recovered  to  be 
left  in  the  care  of  Mrs.  Vargave  and  Helen, 
young  Barnegal  reflected  that  the  mission  on 
which  he  was  about  to  go  to  Colonel  Alton  was 
one  closely  touching  Jacqueline.  "  And  for 
such  a  mission,"  he  said,  "  a  man  should  be  at 
his  most  presentable  best." 

Laughingly  he  said  to  Jacqueline,  who  was 
now  under  self-control,  "  Impatient  as  I  am, 
I  should  wait  to  dress  myself  in  silk  attire  for 
such  a  purpose,  if  I  had  any  silk  attire  lying 
about  anywhere.  As  it  is,  I  can  only  submit 
myself  to  the  hands  and  brushes  of  one  of  your 
servants,  and  let  him  make  me  as  presentable  as 
may  be  under  the  circumstances." 

A  servant  was  summoned ;  the  young  man's 
clothes  were  brushed;  his  riding  boots  were 
cleaned  of  the  soil.  After  that,  the  youth  se 
cured  razors  and  proceeded  to  shave  himself, 

436 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

arid  put  his  hair  in  order.  In  the  meantime,  he 
had  so  far  recovered  his  self-possession,  that  he 
felt  equal  to  the  task  of  "  behaving  like  a 
grown  man  and  a  soldier,"  as  he  put  it,  during 
his  interview  with  the  old  gentleman. 

Going  to  him  at  last  upon  his  invitation, 
Barnegal  drew  the  papers  from  the  pocket  into 
which  he  had  thrust  them  in  a  degree  of  dis 
order  which  would  have  distressed  the  old  so 
licitor  deeply.  He  laid  them  upon  the  table  in 
front  of  the  older  gentleman. 

"  Colonel  Alton,"  he  said,  "  I  lay  before  you 
complete,  official,  documentary  proof  of  the 
honor  of  my  father  and  mother." 

Then  he  hastily  recounted  the  nature  and 
substance  of  the  documents  and  added : 

"  I  come  to  you  now  a  man  as  well  born  as 
yourself — one  entitled  to  ask  any  man  in  all 
this  land  for  the  hand  of  his  daughter.  I  come 
to  you  too  as  the  head  of  my  own  house,  for 
since  the  death  of  the  man  who  so  malignantly 
schemed  against  my  father  first,  and,  for  re 
venge,  against  his  memory  and  my  mother's 
afterward,  I  have  not  a  relative  to  represent 
the  Barnegal  name.  If  I  were  an  Irishman,  I 
should  be  entitled  to  call  myself  '  The  Bar 
negal.'  " 

The  old  gentleman,  with  great  difficulty  and 

437 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

greater  dignity,  rose  to  his  feet  and  grasped  the 
younger  man's  hand.  A  few  broken  words  of 
affection  were  all  that  he  could  utter.  Unable 
to  go  on  he  closed  the  interview  saying : 

"  Go  now,  my  boy,  and  go  with  my  blessing. 
Tell  Jacqueline  all  that  has  happened.  When 
you  have  done  that,"  he  added,  recovering  him 
self,  "  I  have  a  mission  for  you." 

The  young  man  asked  eagerly  what  it  was, 
as  eagerly  promising  to  fulfill  it  on  the  in 
stant. 

"  No,"  said  the  elder,  "  not  until  you  have 
seen  Jacqueline  and  told  her  all.  Here,  take 
these  documents  with  you.  I  will  keep  this 
schedule.  It  is  quite  all  that  I  require.  It  is 
due  to  Jacqueline  that,  after  yourself,  she  should 
be  the  first  to  read  those  papers.  Take  them  to 
her,  and  you  and  she  read  them  together.  After 
that,  go  and  find  my  son.  Bid  him,  if  it  be  pos 
sible,  come 'to  me.  If  his  duties  forbid  that 
now,  say  to  him  for  me  that  the  last  obstacle 
which  stood  in  the  way  of  his  love  and  the  or 
dering  of  his  life  as  he  had  planned  it,  is  gone. 
You  perhaps  have  not  realized  it,  Charles,  but 
your  uncle's  death — of  which  Roger  is  not  yet 
informed — removes  a  danger  that  hung  over 
Helen's  head  until  now.  Say  to  Roger  that  I 
am  ready  now,  whenever  he  wishes,  to  go  to 

438 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Mrs.  Vargave  with  the  request  he  once  asked 
me  to  prefer  to  that  lady." 

Barnegal  went  to  Jacqueline,  as  he  had  been 
bidden,  and  told  her  all.  Together  they  read  all 
the  papers,  line  by  line.  When  they  had  done, 
Jack,  always  mindful  of  others,  said : — 

"  You  must  go  now,  Charles,  on  the  mission 
my  father  gave  you.  You  must  find  Roger  and 
hasten  his  hour  of  rejoicing." 

Singularly  enough,  the  reading  of  those  old, 
time  yellowed  documents  by  Barnegal  and  his 
sweetheart,  had  consumed  the  greater  part  of 
the  day,  though  it  had  taken  Barnegal  by  him 
self  only  an  hour  or  two,  during  the  preceding 
night,  to  go  carefully  through  every  one  of 
them. 

Barnegal  had  slept  no  wink  now  for  thirty- 
six  hours,  but  no  desire  for  sleep  troubled  him. 
He  was  young,  strong  and  a  seasoned  night- 
rider  ;  but  better  still  he  was  under  the  irresist 
ible  stimulus  of  a  great  joy.  So  without  a 
thought  of  weariness  he  swung  himself  upon 
a  fresh  horse,  furnished  by  little  Jack  especially 
for  this  gladsome  occasion,  and  set  off  at  al 
most  breakneck  speed  to  follow  and  find  Roger. 

The  task  of  finding  that  young  cavalier  was 
not  a  difficult  one,  though  he  was  more  than 
twenty  miles  away.  For,  maddened  by  the 

439, 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

dastardly  assault  upon  Alton  House  and  by  the 
destruction  wrought  there,  Captain  Alton  was 
making  his  presence  terribly  manifest,  wher 
ever  he  went,  and  he  went  everywhere  where  a 
tory  was  likely  to  be  found. 

When  told  of  the  good  news,  he  placed  Bar- 
negal  in  command  of  his  force,  which  was  now 
rapidly  increasing  in  strength,  and  himself 
hastened  home. 

"  I  will  join  you  again  to-morrow  or  the 
next  day  at  latest,  Charlie.  Meantime  con 
tinue  the  work  with  all  possible  vigor.  You 
understand  what  it  is.  We  must  clear  this 
whole  region  of  tories  and  make  a  final  end  of 
their  pestilent  activity.  Good-by!  I'll  be  with 
you  to-morrow  or  next  day ! " 


440 


XXXV 

IN   which    MARLBO ROUGH    attains    MILITARY 
COMMAND 

THE  task  that  Roger  Alton  had  set  him 
self  was  one  requiring  time  and  cease 
less  activity.  Now  that  Tiger  Bill 
was  dead  the  tories  in  that  region  were  discour 
aged  by  the  loss  of  his  financial  support  and  the 
stronger  support  of  his  matchless  malignity,  but 
they  had  gained,  on  the  other  hand,  the  courage 
of  rats  in  a  corner.  Every  man  of  them  was 
now  known  in  his  true  character.  Every  man 
of  them  expected  that  the  success  of  the  patriots 
would  mean  more  or  less  of  outlawry  for  him 
self  and  his  family,  and  so  they  were  impelled 
by  fear  of  consequences — which  might  come 
by  means  of  a  rope  dangling  from  a  tree — to 
fight  desperately. 

It  was  a  fierce  and  bloody  struggle,  therefore, 
that  Captain  Alton's  band  had  to  wage,  but 
little  by  little  they  achieved  success.  They 
broke  up  one  tory  band  after  another,  and  as 
they  now  manifested  a  determined  purpose  not 

441 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

to  be  content  with  the  dissolution  of  the  organ 
ized  bands,  but  to  drive  every  individual  tory 
utterly  out  of  that  part  of  the  state,  their  foes 
steadily  decreased  in  numbers.  Some  of  them 
fled  to  the  protection  of  the  British  at  Charles 
Town  or  Savannah.  The  bolder  ones  among 
them  made  their  way  to  the  scene  of  regular 
military  operations  in  the  northwestern  part  of 
the  state  and  in  North  Carolina,  where  they  en 
listed  regularly  in  the  British  militia  regiments 
which  Cornwallis  had  organized  as  an  auxiliary 
army. 

The  spring  of  1781  was  well  advanced  by  the 
time  that  Roger  Alton  and  young  Barnegal 
began  to  recognize  their  work  in  the  lower 
country  as  practically  accomplished,  and  by 
that  time  a  new  dawn  seemed  at  hand  for  South 
Carolina.  The  partisans  under  Marion  and 
Sumter,  and,  in  smaller  bands  like  that  which 
Roger  Alton  had  used  so  effectively,  had  com 
pletely  baffled  the  expectations  of  the  British. 
They  had  maintained  an  irregular  but  very 
fierce  and  effective  warfare,  after  all  possibility 
of  war  seemed  to  the  British  tacticians  to  be 
past.  They  had  made  it  harder  to  hold  South 
Carolina  than  it  had  been  to  overrun  it.  They 
had  taught  their  foes  new  and  undreamed-of 
lessons  in  the  art  of  war.  They  had  saved 

442 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

South  Carolina,  and  the  time  had  now  come  to 
reap  the  harvest  they  had  sown. 

General  Nathaniel  Greene  had  all  this  time 
been  conducting  a  campaign  against  Corn- 
wallis,  almost  matchles-s  in  history,  in  the  brill 
iancy  of  its  strategy  and  the  tireless  courage 
and  endurance  with  which  it  had  been  carried 
out  by  a  half-starved,  ill-armed  army  of  undis 
ciplined  patriots. 

With  an  inferior  force,  this  great  general, 
chosen  by  Washington  himself  for  the  tremen 
dous  task,  had  fought  and  manoeuvred  Corn- 
wallis  out  of  South  Carolina,  across  North 
Carolina  and  into  Virginia,  where  Washington 
and  LaFayette  a  few  months  later  made  him 
bite  the  dust  in  humiliating  surrender;  and 
when  Greene  saw  him  well  on  his  way  to  his 
doom,  he  himself  ceased  pursuit  and  turning 
about,  re-entered  South  Carolina  to  try  con 
clusions  with  the  British  forces  there. 

The  story  of  his  reconquest  of  the  state  reads 
like  romance  in  the  pages  of  history.  This  is 
not  the  place  in  which  to  recount  it  even  in 
outline. 

It  was  to  aid  in  this  splendid  campaign  that 
a  messenger  from  Governor  Rutledge  now  sum 
moned  Roger  Alton  and  his  band  to  the  upper 
part  of  the  state.  Before  leaving,  Roger  placed 

443 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

Marlborough  in  charge  of  the  immediate  de 
fence  of  the  Alton  House  plantations.  There 
was  not  much  danger  of  tory  activity  in  that 
quarter  now,  but  there  was  still  enough  to  sug 
gest  precaution.  Roger  therefore  instructed 
his  faithful  serving  man,  who  had  by  this  time 
shown  himself  to  be  also  a  brave  and  capable 
soldier,  to  organize  and  arm  all  the  able  bodied 
negroes  on  the  estate  as  a  home  guard,  and  ex 
plained  to  him  that  even  without  a  white  of 
ficer  in  command,  such  a  force  would  be  fully 
authorized  in  law  as  well  as  in  morals,  to  do 
soldierly  work  in  the  way  of  home  defence. 
His  last  charge  to  Marlborough  was  this : 

"  I  am  leaving  all  that  I  hold  dear  on  earth  in 
your  care,  Marlborough.  I  expect  you  to  keep 
them  in  safety." 

"  If  you  don't  find  'em  safe  when  you  come 
back,  Mas'  Roger,  you  won't  find  any  but  a 
dead  Marlborough  to  blame  for  the  failure !  " 

With  that  the  loyal  black  man  held  out  his 
hand  and  Roger  grasped  it  warmly,  saying : 

"  I  know  that,  Marlborough.  I  know  your 
courage  and  your  devotion.  I  trust  you  as  I 
would  trust  myself." 


444 


T"  T'ERY  naturally  Roger  wanted  to  make 
j/  Helen  his  wife  before  going  away 
V  upon  this  new  and  arduous  campaign, 

as  Barnegal  had  done  with  Jacqueline. 

"  I  want  to  feel,"  Roger  said,  "  that  my 
highest  purpose  in  life  is  achieved,  whatever 
may  be  my  fate  with  regard  to  the  rest.  I  want 
you  to  be  my  wife  if  anything  should  happen  to 
me.  If  you  should  be  called  upon  to  mourn  me. 
I  want  you  to  have  the  right  to  mourn  me  as  a 
husband  dead  on  the  field  of  honor,  and  not  as 
a  lover  merely,  whom  the  artificialities  of  our 
society  would  forbid  you  to  mourn  openly." 

"  What  have  we  to  do  with  artificialities, 
Roger?  "  asked  the  girl  with  tear  dimmed  eyes. 
"  As  I  told  you  long  ago,  I  count  myself,  in 
my  very  soul,  your  wife,  and  should  you  fall 
as  the  hero  falls,  be  sure  I  shall  assert  all  my 
right  as  your  wife  to  mourn  my  hero  husband. 
It  is  the  other  things  that  I  do  not  wish  to  com- 

445 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

plicate  by  the  formalities  of  a  marriage  now — 
the  property  things  you  know.  Should  any 
shilling's  worth  of  your  possessions  come  to 
me  as  your  widow,  I  should  feel  that  the  love 
I  bear  you  had  been  paid  for  with  a  price,  and  I 
could  not  endure  that.  No,  no,  Roger!  Let 
us  wait  till  independence  is  achieved  for  our 
country.  Let  us  wait  till  you  have  fulfilled  the 
last  obligation  to  that  Liberty  that  was  your 
mistress  before  you  thought  of  loving  me." 

Then,  in  that  lighter  vein  which  she  was  cul 
tivating  for  the  sake  of  sending  her  lover  forth 
to  battle  with  only  cheerful  memories,  she 
added : 

"  Besides  you  haven't  yet  fulfilled  the  con 
dition  I  imposed  upon  you  when  we  first  agreed, 
down  there  at  Lonsdale,  to  call  each  other  just 
'  Roger  '  and  '  Helen.'  You  remember,  I  told 
you  you  were  going  into  the  army  and  would 
come  to  be  a  '  major '  or  something  else  as 
dignified  as  that.  You  are  only  a  captain  now. 
When  you  come  back  to  me  as  a  major  I  will 
marry  you." 

There  was  no  use  in  arguing  the  matter,  as 
Roger  saw  clearly,  and  as  his  company  was  al 
ready  assembled,  for  the  march  which  was  to 
begin  within  the  hour,  he  had  no  further  time 
for  parleying. 

446 


UNIVERSITY  of  CALIFORNIA 

AT 
TOQ 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

But  while  he  was  making  his  final  disposi 
tions  Helen  went  on  a  little  mission  of  her 
own.  From  the  storeroom  she  took  an  apronful 
of  sugar  lumps,  and,  without  attracting  any 
body's  attention,  fled  with  them  to  the  stables. 
There  she  fed  them  one  by  one  to  Bullet  and 
Mad  Bess,  saying  to  them  as  she  did  so  : — 

"  Carry  your  master  well.  Bring  him  back 
to  me  in  safety  and  I  solemnly  promise  to  feed 
you  all  the  sugar  lumps  that  are  good  for  you, 
every  day  as  long  as  you  live." 

And  in  the  years  that  came  afterwards  she 
kept  her  promise.  Mad  Bess,  poor  brute,  was 
killed  under  her  master  in  the  operations  near 
Ninety-six,  and  Bullet  received  a  fearful  bayo 
net  wound  in  the  fierce  fighting  at  Eutaw 
Springs  which  in  effect  completed  the  redemp 
tion  of  South  Carolina  and  ended  the  war  in 
that  part  of  the  Union.  But  with  the  high 
health  that  he  had  enjoyed  from  his  earliest 
colthood,  he  recovered,  and  it  was  upon  his 
back  that  some  months  later  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Roger  Alton — twice  promoted  for  gallantry — 
rode  from  recovered  Charles  Town  to  Alton 
House  to  claim  his  wife,  and  to  begin,  with  her 
aid  and  counsel,  the  joyous  work  of  recon 
structing  the  historic  mansion  in  all  the  glory 
of  architectural  adornment  to  which  its  sturdy 

447 


A  CAROLINA  CAVALIER 

walls  invited  its  new  master — for  Roger  was 
its  master  now,  Col.  Geoffrey  Alton  having 
passed  away,  full  of  years  and  of  honors. 

Day  by  day,  Helen  went  every  morning  to 
Bullet's  paddock — for  she  would  not  have  him 
confined  to  a  stall — and  paid  him  his  pension 
of  sugar  plums.  And  even  when  the  coming  of 
a  little  Geoffrey  Alton  to  be  the  future  heir  of 
Alton  House,  held  her  prisoner  for  a  time,  she 
did  not  forget,  but  sent  the  daily  dole  by  trusty 
hands,  with  loving  messages  which  she  firmly 
believed  the  noble  animal  understood.  Perhaps 
he  did,  for  who  shall  set  a  limit  to  understand 
ing  where  love  sends  greetings  ? 


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